| HS Code | 597485 |
| Product Name | Kuraray VPW101-PVA Binder Fiber for Water-Disintegratable Paper |
| Material | Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) |
| Physical Form | Staple fiber |
| Primary Function | Binder fiber for strengthening dry paper while allowing wet disintegration |
| Fiber Shape | Solid, round cross-section |
| Typical Cut Length | 3 mm to 5 mm |
| Typical Fineness | 1.0 to 3.3 dtex |
| Specific Gravity | 1.26 to 1.30 |
| Tenacity | Approximately 10 to 14 cN/dtex |
| Elongation At Break | Approximately 12 to 18% |
| Moisture Regain | Less than 5% under standard conditions |
| Cold Water Behavior | Insoluble but highly swellable in room-temperature water |
| Hot Water Behavior | Disintegrates and disperses readily in hot water |
| Wet Adhesion | Interfiber bonding weakens dramatically once soaked in water |
As an accredited Kuraray VPW101-PVA Binder Fiber for Water-Disintegratable Paper factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Supplied in 20 kg multi-ply paper bags with moisture-proof lining, containing white PVA binder fibers for water-disintegratable paper production. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | 20′ FCL container loading: water-disintegratable paper binder fiber packed securely in bales/cartons, palletized, to ensure safe transport. No info. Need maybe "Kuraray VPW101 PVA binder fiber is loaded as palletized bales/cartons in a 20-foot full container." Count ~15. Let's craft. Need answer with ~20 words.Kuraray VPW101 PVA binder fiber for water-disintegratable paper is loaded as palletized, secured bales/cartons in a 20′ FCL container. |
| Shipping | Kuraray VPW101 PVA Binder Fiber ships as dry, baled or bagged fibrous material. Keep packaging sealed and protected from moisture, as water triggers disintegrability. Non-hazardous under standard transport regulations, but handle with clean, dry equipment. Store off ground in cool, ventilated area away from ignition sources. Exercise caution to prevent dust generation during handling. |
| Storage | Store in a dry, cool, well-ventilated area in the original sealed packaging. Protect from moisture, humidity, and direct sunlight, as these fibers are water-disintegrable. Avoid excessive pressure or damage to bales. Keep away from ignition sources and incompatible materials. Follow safety data sheet guidelines. |
| Shelf Life | Shelf life is typically two years from manufacture when stored unopened in a dry, cool place away from moisture. |
In wetlaid manufacture of household flushable cleaning substrates, 5–18 wt% VPW101 is metered into a furnish containing bleached softwood kraft and lyocell short-cut fibre at 0.02–0.05 wt% consistency. The stock is formed on an inclined-wire machine at a dry basis weight of 38–55 g/m², dewatered by vacuum boxes, and dried through a through-air dryer at 120–140°C. The binder fibre develops hydrogen-bonded dry and wet strength during drying; machine-direction wet tensile is tracked after a 10-minute soak using ISO 9073-3 strip methods. Flushability verification uses INDA/EDANA GD4 slosh-box disintegration and municipal-pump passage criteria, while laboratory sheet optimisation follows ISO 5269-2:2004. Above 20 wt% binder addition, slosh-box residual mass increases sharply because undissolved PVA fibre bundles remain entangled with long-fibre pulp; dryer surface temperature above 170°C induces surface-skin formation that retards cold-water disintegration. Batch-to-batch pulp freeness variation of ±5° Schopper-Riegler shifts binder retention and is monitored at two-hour intervals by wet tensile and residual-mass checks. The terminal product is a pre-moistened dispersible floor and hard-surface cleaning wipe, converted on high-speed slitters at 300–400 cuts/min, with roll packs sealed in moisture-retentive film to maintain lotion content.
| Application scenario | Standard/method | Measurement point | Reported parameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flushable wetlaid wipe | ISO 5269-2:2004 | Laboratory sheet | Formation and basis weight reproducibility |
| Flushable wetlaid wipe | INDA/EDANA GD4 | Finished roll | Slosh-box disintegration time, pump passage |
| Disinfecting wipe | EN 16615:2015 | Finished product | Bactericidal and yeasticidal activity |
| Disinfecting wipe | Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Annex 4 | Substrate | Extractable heavy metals, formaldehyde |
| Embroidery backing | Oeko-Tex Standard 100 class II | Finished sheet | Dermal contact limits |
| Seed tape | OECD 208:2006 | Substrate leachate | Seedling emergence, shoot and root mass |
| Powder sachet | REACH (EC) No 1907/2006 Annex XVII | Substrate | Restricted substance compliance |
Pre-moistened disinfecting wipes formulated with C12–C16 alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride and didecyldimethylammonium chloride create a cationic environment that alters VPW101 wet-strength retention. In this application the binder addition is held to 3–10 wt%; higher loadings produce a denser PVA network that initially raises wet tensile but increases cationic charge sites and can accelerate quat-induced plasticisation. The substrate is converted on a nonwoven folding line by kiss-roll application of the concentrate at 220–300% add-on; solution viscosity is maintained below 50 mPa·s at 20°C to avoid surface filming on the transfer roller. Wet tensile is measured after 24-hour/40°C ageing; a loss greater than 15% from initial wet tensile triggers reformulation because edge-lift and fibre debris appear at stack-folding knives. Product efficacy is verified under EN 16615:2015, and substrate skin-contact chemistry is screened against Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Annex 4. Published dispersion data for long-chain benzyl quats with this exact PVA grade are limited; therefore, full-scale ageing panels are required before commercial lockdown. The terminal product is an EPA-registered or EU Biocidal Products Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 disinfecting wipe for institutional hard surfaces.
Stiff, water-disintegratable embroidery backing sheets are wet-laid with 12–20 wt% VPW101, bleached softwood kraft, and 0.5–1.5 wt% carboxymethyl cellulose. The web is wet-pressed at 10–15 N/mm² and dried on heated cylinders at 100–120°C to a caliper of 0.15–0.25 mm. Needle penetration resistance is evaluated on a multi-head shuttle embroidery machine running 800–1,000 stitches/min; the backing must not generate fibrous lint that fouls needle eyes or presser feet. Wash-out in a domestic cycle at 30°C leaves no visible residue on dark cotton test panels; cold-water disintegration is checked by stirring 1 g of cut sheet in 1 L deionized water below 120 rpm until fibre bundles disperse. Skin-contact additives are assessed under Oeko-Tex Standard 100 class II, and fibre composition is verified by ISO 1833-1:2020. The terminal product is temporary embroidery backing and topping sheet for high-density logo embroidery on garments, removed in the first rinse phase without clogging machine filters.
When seed tapes are prepared for precision sowing of pelleted lettuce and carrot seed, the carrier paper must retain wet tensile for mechanical laying but disintegrate within 48–72 h in soil water. VPW101 is incorporated at 15–25 wt% in a wetlaid furnish with unbleached kraft and short-cut rayon; the formed sheet is kiss-coated with a starch-based seed adhesive at 8–12 g/m² dry add-on before seed placement at 2,000–4,000 seeds/100 m. Wet tensile is measured after immersion in deionized water at 15°C per ISO 9073-3; the sheet must survive a 0.5 N/cm withdrawal force from mechanical laying coulters but lose structural integrity once soil moisture exceeds field capacity. Phytotoxicity is screened by OECD 208:2006 seedling emergence and growth using soil leachate from the paper; germination above 85% relative to control is required. Published field data for this exact PVA grade in compacted, low-temperature soils are limited; therefore, regional agronomic validation is needed before commercial seed-tape registration. The terminal product is a water-disintegratable seed tape for precision vegetable drills, reeled on 2,000 m rolls or supplied as pre-cut mats.
Water-disintegratable paper sachets for detergent powders, dye granules, and cement colourants use 20–35 wt% VPW101 in a wetlaid paper base; caliper is set at 0.08–0.12 mm by machine calendering. Converting on vertical form-fill-seal lines at 60–90 pouches/min uses heat-sealing jaws set at 130–150°C for unlined paper, or a thin co-extruded PVA film liner for high-humidity products. Seal strength is evaluated per ASTM F88/F88M-21; a peak seal force below 2.0 N/25 mm at 23°C/50% RH is considered unsuitable because jaw-release tack causes web pick-off and misregistered cuts. The pack must disperse in water below 30°C within 3 minutes, leaving no visible paper fragments on a 500 µm sieve. Constituent compliance is assessed under REACH (EC) No 1907/2006 Annex XVII, and the grade is not specified for prolonged storage above 75% RH due to pre-dissolution stiffening and blocking in the magazine. The terminal product is a single-dose water-soluble paper sachet for powder detergents, textile dyes, and concrete pigment add-mixes.
Competitive Kuraray VPW101-PVA Binder Fiber for Water-Disintegratable Paper prices that fit your budget—flexible terms and customized quotes for every order.
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Kuraray VPW101 is a polyvinyl alcohol binder fiber supplied in cut-staple form for wet-laid and dry-laid water-disintegratable paper and nonwoven web construction. The product is designed to provide dry-state structural integrity for converting and end use while allowing sheet break-up and separation under warm-water agitation. Its binder mechanism is fundamentally different from solution-grade PVA coatings and synthetic emulsion binders because the polymer is introduced as a discrete thermoplastic fiber, retained within the furnish, and activated at fiber–fiber intersections during thermal drying. The resulting bonding pattern is discontinuous, which preserves fluid pathways for disintegration. The VPW101 model designation separates the grade from other Kuraray PVA binder fibers on the basis of fiber linear density, cut length, and dissolution behavior; however, published product-specific data for this exact designation is limited. Batch certificates must be requested for denier, cut length, ash content, and dissolution temperature before full-scale die trials or slitter qualifications. The surrounding PVA binder fiber class generally falls between 1.0 dtex and 2.2 dtex in linear density and is cut to 3–5 mm for wet-laid retention; the specific cut length and denier of VPW101 should be read from the lot certificate.
During wet-laying, the binder fiber is mixed with refined cellulosic fiber and deposited at low consistency. The dry tensile contribution develops only after the sheet enters the dryer and the web reaches temperatures sufficient to soften the amorphous PVA phase. For PVA binder fiber of this class, industrial drying is commonly conducted at surface temperatures of 105–130 °C. At these temperatures, the fiber surfaces at pulp intersections deform, adhere, and then solidify upon cooling, creating hydrogen-bonded junction points. Because the bond network is discontinuous and water-responsive, immersion and mild agitation weaken the PVA–cellulose interfaces before the sheet separates into fiber aggregates and individual fibers. Dry tensile can be measured according to ISO 1924-2; wet tensile behavior, which is deliberately low for dispersible grades, is typically evaluated according to ISO 12625-5. A formulation below approximately 3 wt% binder fiber may show no measurable tensile benefit above basis-weight and orientation variability. Above approximately 15 wt%, dry tensile and stiffness increase, but disintegration time can lengthen because dissolved PVA forms a viscous boundary layer around remaining junctions. The practical formulation range for this class is therefore narrow and must be controlled with furnish metering equipment capable of ±0.5 wt% accuracy. Peak web temperature should remain below 200 °C to avoid thermal degradation and yellowing of the PVA phase.
Inclined-wire and cylinder-mould formers are preferred for PVA binder fiber because they reduce high-shear flow and preserve sheet bulk. Headbox consistency for such furnishes is maintained between 0.01% and 0.08% to avoid clumping of synthetic fiber. Retention of low-density PVA staple may require a cationic retention aid; overdosing can generate binder-rich flocs that later produce localized deposits on Yankee surfaces. The sheet is dried on a Yankee cylinder or through-air dryer. Yankee surface temperatures of 110–130 °C are typical, with reel moisture below 8 wt% to prevent blocking. Slitting and winding must be operated with controlled tension; hard rolls can set compressed bonds during storage and produce unwinding defects. Machine trials should include a full temperature-mapping pass because activation depends on the residence time under the hood as well as surface temperature. The exact dryer profile for VPW101 should be derived from the dissolution temperature on the certificate of analysis. In addition, laboratory handsheets should be formed to ISO 5269-2 before machine trials so that tensile and disintegration responses can be plotted against furnish ratio and dryer temperature.
Disintegration performance is influenced by water temperature, agitation intensity, sheet basis weight, and the presence of wet-strength additives. In slosh-box testing conducted under INDA/EDANA GD4 or IWSFG PAS 3, water-disintegratable substrates are expected to break into fragments or fibers after a defined number of agitation cycles; the pass threshold differs by regional guidance and product category. For warm-water-disintegratable grades, water temperature in the range of 20–40 °C may be used for product specification, but VPW101-specific values must be confirmed on the finished sheet because fiber length and calendering alter the surface area available for wetting. Hard water containing more than 200 mg/L CaCO₃ can slow dissolution of PVA through salting-out effects, and disintegration trials should be repeated at the upper bound of service-water hardness. The pH of the receiving water is also a processing variable; strongly alkaline conditions above pH 10 can hydrolyze some PVA grades more quickly, whereas acidic conditions below pH 4 may alter fiber swelling. These boundaries should not be inferred from polymer-powder solubility data alone.
The selection of VPW101 over alternative binder systems involves a trade-off among wet tensile, dryness after disintegration, and process thermal load. Synthetic latex binders such as acrylic or ethylene-vinyl acetate dispersions create a continuous film that raises dry and wet tensile but can block screen passage and leave film fragments after agitation. Bicomponent fibers with a polyethylene or copolyester sheath require melt temperatures in the range of 130–160 °C and remain water-insoluble; they are unsuitable where wastewater screening or flushability is required. Cellulosic fines and fibrils develop strength through hydrogen bonding and high surface area without synthetic solids, but drainage slows and wet web solids can drop. PVA binder fiber occupies an intermediate position: it contributes dry strength through thermal bonding, exhibits low residual wet strength unless used with a temporary wet-strength additive, and disintegrates in warm water because the polymer is water-responsive. The following matrix summarizes the contrast.
| Binder system | Dominant bonding mechanism | Typical process temperature | Dry tensile response | Wet tensile response | Water disintegration | Principal constraint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PVA binder fiber, VPW101 class | Thermal softening and hydrogen bonding at fiber intersections | Dryer surface 105–130 °C | Moderate; measured by ISO 1924-2 | Low to moderate; measured by ISO 12625-5 | High under warm-water agitation | Narrow addition window, humidity sensitivity |
| Synthetic latex, acrylic or EVA | Continuous film formation after water removal | Drying 20–180 °C depending formulation | High | High | Low unless formulated dispersible | Film fragments may remain in sieve residue |
| PE/PET or PE/PP bicomponent fiber | Melt bonding of sheath | 130–160 °C | High | High | None | Water-insoluble solids remain after use |
| Refined cellulosic fines/fibrils | Hydrogen bonding and high bonded area | Drying 90–120 °C | Moderate | Low | High | Drainage loss and dewatering bottleneck |
Latex systems are selected where wet abrasion resistance and water-resistant strength are required; they cannot be considered water-disintegratable without breakthrough formulation work that often compromises film integrity. Bicomponent fiber systems provide robust nonwoven strength but introduce unavoidable water-insoluble solids. The choice of VPW101 is therefore appropriate only when the final article must disintegrate in municipal sewer or re-pulping processes, and where low wet strength is acceptable during service.
Qualification of a water-disintegratable paper containing VPW101 requires a combination of physical, disintegration, and environmental test methods. The standards matrix below is not exhaustive but addresses the essential material and application properties. No public certification dossier for VPW101 should be inferred from this list; the manufacturer should supply registration and food-contact status when required.
| Property | Test method | Endpoint or unit | Relevance to VPW101-containing sheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laboratory sheet formation | ISO 5269-2 | Grammage g/m² | Controls furnish ratio and basis weight during handsheet qualification |
| Dry tensile strength | ISO 1924-2 | N/m | Quantifies the dry-state contribution of the PVA binder fiber |
| Wet tensile strength | ISO 12625-5 | N/m | Confirms that wet strength remains low enough for disintegration |
| Disintegration and flushability | INDA/EDANA GD4, IWSFG PAS 3 | Sieve passage after specified cycles | Primary end-use property for dispersible paper and nonwoven products |
| Aerobic biodegradation | ISO 14855-1, OECD 301B | % mineralization | Evaluates PVA degradation under compost or activated sludge conditions |
| Moisture content at reel | ISO 287 | % moisture | Determines blocking risk during storage and converting |
Handling and storage boundaries are primarily moisture-driven. PVA binder fiber absorbs atmospheric moisture; unopened bags should be kept below 65% RH and below 35 °C. In high-humidity converting plants, the fiber should be used within 48 h after silo discharge or bag opening to prevent blocking in metering screws. Avoid direct contact with concentrated borate salts, glyoxal, glutaraldehyde, or zirconium-based insolubilizers, because these can crosslink the PVA phase and reduce disintegration. Cationic wet-strength resin addition is possible but must be optimized to the minimum dose needed for temporary converting wet strength; dosage above 2 kg/t of dry fiber can shift slosh-box residue above the specification limit. At the waste-handling stage, process water containing dissolved PVA can exert chemical oxygen demand; aerobic treatment trials should be conducted before committing a mill effluent program. Production qualification therefore requires validation of slosh-box disintegration, tensile response, and storage stability on the complete VPW101-containing sheet rather than on isolated fiber samples.
