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ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Cotton Chemistry and Utilization Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #301641
Title: Nonwoven greige cotton for wound healing and hygienic product applications

Author
item Edwards, Judson
item Prevost, Nicolette
item Graves, Elena
item Condon, Brian
item GARY, LAWSON - Wildwood Gin, Inc
item CARUS, EDMUND - Wildwood Gin, Inc

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/15/2014
Publication Date: 2/20/2014
Citation: Edwards, J.V., Prevost, N.T., Graves, E.E., Condon, B.D., Gary, L., Carus, E. 2014. Nonwoven greige cotton for wound healing and hygienic product applications. Proceedings of National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference. 1025-1033.

Interpretive Summary: Cotton is an environmentally friendly and sustainable material that is an attractive option as a biocompatiable textile surface for clothes and biomedical materials. Here greige cotton was compared with scoured and bleached cotton for properties to initiate wound healing in the form of clotting and hydrogen peroxide generation. It was found that greige cotton accelerates clotting when formulated with silicon dioxide, and generates low level hydrogen peroxide levels commensurate with stimulating the acceleration of granulation tissue formation. In addition hygienic performance properties were found that point to the likely use of greige cotton nonwovens in incontinence products.

Technical Abstract: The potential to use greige (non-bleached) cotton in nonwoven absorbent products has received increased attention. This is due to innovations in cotton cleaning and nonwoven hydroentanglement processes that open and expose the hydrophilic cellulosic component of greige cotton fiber to water absorption while retaining the cuticle waxes and pectin. Wound healing and hygienic value in greige cotton has been recently demonstrated and will be discussed in this presentation. Greige cotton demonstrated accelerated clotting over bleached cotton, and generates low-level hydrogen peroxide which is associated with accelerated formation of granulation tissue in wound healing. In addition mechanically cleaned surfactant–treated nonwoven greige cotton functions similarly or better than commercial diaper coverstock layers. Tests measuring rewet, strikethrough, and acquisition of synthetic urine, and comparing commercial samples with industry standards of pre-clinical diaper performance, revealed that nonwoven greige cotton can function as a top sheet in diapers and other incontinence products.