The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich., has launched in North America a series of acrylic binders designed to enable hygiene and medical products manufacturers to produce end-use nonwovens products containing minimal levels of formaldehyde.

According to Dow, RHOPLEX™ ECONEXT™ binders offer good wet strength, hydrophobicity, and the option to adjust softness and stiffness; but contain low and ultra-low levels of formaldehyde so that manufacturers can meet increasingly stringent industry standards such as the Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 certification for textile raw materials, intermediates and end products.

Rhoplex Econext 110, 210 and 230 are the first binders in the product line to be commercialized in North America. The binders may be used in disposable and reusable nonwoven applications and are especially suitable for use in formaldehyde-sensitive environments such as hospitals, schools, and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®)-certified buildings and manufacturing facilities, Dow reports.

Dow introduced the technology last year under its European trade name PRIMAL™ ECONEXT™ at INDEX 11 and received an innovation award for it at the show.

July/August 2012