BIO-DEGRADABLE NON-WOVEN ABRASIVE MATERIAL AND PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME

Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a new bio-degradable non-woven abrasive material suitable for cleaning, scoring, polishing, rust removal, packing, insulation, engineering components and other surface conditioning applications. More particularly, the present invention relates to an abrasive material that is made exclusively from biodegradable components such as bio-degradable fibers, bio-degradable binders and biodegradable abrasives.

The present invention also relates to a process for the manufacture of such material.

Background of the invention

Non-woven abrasive pads are commonly used for many cleaning and personal care and have a wide range of application both in industries and households.

Initially, metal wools were widely used for the cleaning of variety of subjects especially utensils. The metal wool pads had several disadvantages of rusting, breaking or splintering and scratching the surface to be cleaned.

In order to overcome those disadvantages, non-metallic scouring pads utilizing synthetic organic fibers such as nylon, polypropylene or polyester were developed.

As consumers are becoming more concerned about the environmental issues, there is a demand for products that can be recycled or will degrade quickly without harming the environment.

For this purpose there is growing need for products based on biodegradable material.

Cleaning material formed by natural fibers was widely used anciently for cleaning utensils. However, such material have several disadvantages such as the natural fiber has little or no resilience, becomes wet, dark and attracts foul odor. Consequently, cleaning materials formed from natural fibers are less attractive to consumers.

Another disadvantage was that none of these pads had the appropriate abrasiveness for effective cleaning without scratching delicate surfaces.

Thus there is a need in the art for bio-degradable abrasive cleaning material

• for effective cleaning,
• environmental friendly,
• bio-degradable,
• oxidation free (i.e., rust free or prevents colour change),
• has sufficient resilience for comfortable handling,
• prevents tearing or disintegration when used with any type of detergents,
• odorless,
• has the ability to provide a good abrasive action without scratching the delicate surface to be cleaned, etc A search of the prior art did not disclose any references that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, the following references were considered related:

US 2007/0026754 Al (herein after US '754) published on 1st February 2007, discloses a scoring material for domestic use comprising a three-dimensional non-woven web of entangled fibers bonded to one another at their mutual contact points by a pre-bond resin and additionally contains abrasive particles adhered to the fibers by a make-coat resin. The fibers comprise only at least 80% by weight of natural fibers and the rest % by weigh of synthetic fibers. US '754 teaches that natural vegetable fibers have little or no resilience (unlike the crimped synthetic fibers that are used to manufacture non-woven abrasive/scoring material) so that, even if they are processed into more uniform non-woven web, it is difficult to incorporate abrasive material into the web without crushing the fibers and, as a result, compacting the web to an undesirable extent. In order to achieve the resilience, US '754 uses at least 80% by weight of the natural fibers bonded by pre-bond resins selected from among thermosetting or a thermoplastic resins. Contrary to the asserted remarks of US '754, the present invention makes possible a resilient, biodegradable non-woven abrasive material that can be manufactured using conventional methods.

US 2010/0087117 Al (herein after US '117) discloses a scouring material comprising natural vegetable fibers in an amount of at least 50% by weight and crimped synthetic fibers in an amount of at least 5% by weight. US '117 teach that inclusion of crimped synthetic fibers with the natural vegetable fibers had been found to facilitate the production of a scouring material using the conventional type of manufacturing process. Contrary to US '117 the present invention makes use of the conventional type manufacturing process without any inclusion of synthetic fibers.

US 2010/0132144 Al (herein after US '144) discloses abrasive pads/scrubbers obtained from treated white coir. US '144 describes that the coir based scrubber have several disadvantages such as the fibers become dark and attract foul odor. In order to achieve this effect, the coir is pre-treated with saline soaking and coating with a polymeric adhesive cum coating formulation comprising blending cellulose polyolefm pellets and thermoplastic polyurethane in a low boiling organic solvent with a chain extruder. The present invention relates to a biodegradable non-woven abrasive material that does not require pre-treating and is coated with biodegradable binder resins.

As described above, the existing non-woven abrasive products are either made of synthetic fibers such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, polypropylene, their blends, etc; or of a blend of natural and synthetic fibers; or of pre-treated natural fiber. These non-woven abrasive products are manufactured by:

(i) forming of a three dimensional web with synthetic fibers / a blend of natural and synthetic fibers pre-treated natural fiber,

(ii) coating of the three dimensional web with synthetic liquid binders such as formaldehyde based condensation polymerized resins, acrylic emulsions, polyurethane, epoxy resins and polyester resins and their mixtures and

(iii) curing to form a finished web.

The abrasive particles may optionally be are coated on to the web either by way of mixing along with binders or directly coated on to the web. Commonly used abrasive particles are synthetic abrasives like aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, and natural abrasives like emery, garnet, flint, etc and their blends.

The existing methods for making the non-woven abrasive particles have certain drawbacks that can be summarized as follows:

(a) Synthetic fibers used in the non woven products are generally hydrophobic in nature and hence to improve the adhesion between fibers and binders, chemicals and solvents are added to the binder mixes that pose health hazards.

(b) Certain binders, especially formaldehyde based condensation polymers, contain residual free formaldehydes that are not eco-friendly in nature.

(c) Certain non-woven abrasive products are made from biodegradable natural fibers; but are not completely biodegradable as they are coated with synthetic binders or abrasives thereby making them resistant to biodegradation.

Thus the main objective of the current invention is to develop a completely biodegradable non-woven abrasive product for effective cleaning. The other objects of the invention includes the product being environmental friendly, oxidation free and also having sufficient resilience for comfortable handling, preventing tearing or disintegration when used with any type of detergents, odorless and has the ability to provide a good abrasive action without scratching the delicate surface to be cleaned. The invention also relates to a process for making such product.

Applicants have found that this object can be achieved by providing an improved formulation for bonding which is completely biodegradable as well as provides the required resilience to the material.

Summary

The present invention is directed to a completely biodegradable non-woven abrasive material that meets these needs.

The biodegradable non-woven abrasive material comprises non-woven web of biodegradable fibers coated with biodegradable binder solution and plurality of biodegradable abrasive particles.

The biodegradable fibers are natural fibers that are derived directly from plants. The present invention encompasses any natural fibers. In a particular embodiment, the natural fibers include any or all of the following fibers and their blends: (i) coconut fibers, (ii) banana fibers, (iii) jute fibers, (iv) sisal fibers, (v) cotton fibers or mixtures thereof.

The fibers throughout the web have a substantially continuous coating of binder solution and the web of bonded fibers has a maximum density up to 70 Kg/m .

The present invention also relates to an efficient process for the manufacture of such material.
These and other features, aspects and advantage of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and claims.

Detailed description

The present invention provides a biodegradable non-woven abrasive material comprises non-woven web of biodegradable fibers coated with biodegradable binder solution and plurality of biodegradable abrasive particles.

The biodegradable non-woven abrasive material comprises a three-dimensional non-woven web of entangled fibers. The fibers, explained in detailed below, comprises 100% biodegradable fibers. Throughout the web, the fibers have a continuous coating of binder solution and plurality of abrasive particles is adhered to the coated web. The non-woven web of fibers including the binder solution but without the abrasive particles has a maximum density up to 70 kg/m3.

Any suitable biodegradable fibers can be used in the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the biodegradable fibers are natural fibers derived from plants. In a most preferred embodiment, the fibers derived from plants include any or all of the following fibers and their blends: (i) coconut fibers, (ii) banana fibers, (iii) jute fibers, (iv) sisal fibers, (v) cotton fibers or mixtures thereof. The fibers may be virgin fibers or waste fibers reclaimed from industries.

The binder solution that coat the non-woven web of the fibers are formulated to be environmental friendly and to provide good resilience to the fibers. The binder solution comprises a solvent, bonding agent and a plasticizer which are biodegradable. The binder solution of the present invention encompasses any solvent, bonding agent and a plasticizer suitable for the present purpose provided they are biodegradable. In a preferred embodiment, the composition of the binder solution comprises 75-90% (w/w) of solvent, 10-30% (w/w) of bonding agent and 1% of plasticizer.

Preferably, the solvent is selected from the group comprising water, C2 - C6 hydrocarbon and/or their derivatives, isopropyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol and the like either alone or in combination.
Preferably, the bonding agent comprises any or all of the biodegradable binder resins and their blends such as (i) Shellac resin, (ii) natural wax and its emulsion and (iii) gum Arabic. The binder resins can optionally be a blend of the bio degradable binder resins with any or all of the following binders, under different proportions: (i) Acrylic emulsion binders, (ii) epoxy binders, (iii) polyurethane binders.

Preferably, the plasticizer is glycerin.

According to another aspect, the biodegradable fibers are coated with a layer of biodegradable abrasive particles to provide a scouring effect by subjecting the fibers to an abrasive coat. The biodegradable abrasive particles are either mixed with the binding solution and coated on to the fibers or applied directly onto pre-coated fibers. The binder solution for the abrasive coating comprises 75-85% (w/w) of solvent, 8-14% (w/w) of bonding agent and 5-8% of abrasives.

The biodegradable abrasive particles can be of any type known to be suitable for scouring or cleaning. The abrasive particles are selected from any or all of natural abrasives and their blends such as (i) agglomerated fly ash, (ii) coconut shell powder, (iii) cashew nut shell powder, (iv) walnut shell powder, (v) activated charcoal and (vi) cellulose pulp. The amount of abrasive particles varies from 20 to 80 % of the final product weight. The particle size may vary from 120 microns to 50 nm.

The abrasive particles can optionally be a blend of the biodegradable abrasive particles with any or all of the following naturally available abrasives under different proportions: (i) garnet, (ii) emery, (iii) quartz, (iv) clay powder, (v) talc, (vi) feldspar, etc

In another embodiment of the invention, the material is incorporated with an antimicrobial agent. The anti-microbial agent is selected from any naturally occurring and/or synthetic anti-bacterial agents. In a preferred embodiment, the anti-microbial agent comprises silver nana particles.

Preferably, the biodegradable fibers may be colored as desired with biodegradable coloring agents to impart an attractive appearance to the product and to enhance their appeal.

A process for manufacturing the biodegradable non-woven abrasive material comprises the following steps:

(a) forming a three-dimensional non-woven web of biodegradable fibers

(b) coating the web with biodegradable binder solution and

(c) applying biodegradable abrasive particles to the coated web.

The non-woven web of the biodegradable fibers is formed by any or all of the conventional methods. In a preferred embodiment the conventional method includes (i) carding, (ii) random air laid, (iii) cross lapping and/or (iv) needle punching. The present invention has the advantage of using the conventional methods for producing non-woven web of biodegradable fibers. The biodegradable fibers do not undergo any pre-treatment step to suit the conventional methods for producing the non-woven web.

The biodegradable binder solution is coated on to the non-woven web of the biodegradable fibers by any or all of the conventional methods. In a preferred embodiment the conventional method includes (i) roll coating, (ii) roll and knife coating, (iii) spray coating and (iv) saturation coating.
The biodegradable abrasive particles are applied on to the non-woven web of the biodegradable fibers by any or all of the conventional methods. In a preferred embodiment the conventional method includes (i) slurry of abrasive and binder by means of roll coating or spray coating, (ii) spraying of the abrasives, (iii) fluidized bed coating, (iv) gravity coating.

The biodegradable non-woven abrasive material finds application in the following fields but not excluded to (i) utensil cleaning pads, (ii) wood finishing, (iii) floor polishing, (iv) insulation, (v) packing material and (vi) bio-degradable non-woven engineering components.

The details of the invention, its object and advantages are explained hereunder in greater detail in relation to non-limiting exemplary illustration as per the following examples:

Examples

Example 1 - Preparation of 100 % bio degradable non woven material.

A 100 % bio degradable non woven material is made out of coconut fibers in series of nonwoven machinery consisting of airlaid webber and a needle loom. The well opened coconut fibers are feed into the air laid webber machinery, where the process of mixing the coconut fibers with air at high pressure takes place. The resultant blend of air and the coconut fiber is passed over a screen, where the air is removed thereby leaving a nonwoven web of coconut fibers. The resultant nonwoven web of coconut fiber would not have any mechanical strength for any downstream applications. Hence the web is passed through a needle loom whereby the nonwoven web of the coconut fibers are mechanically entangled by needling process. The needle loom consists of two perforated plates through which a set of serially arranged needles move up and down at high speed. The unneedled non woven web of coconut fiber is passed between the two perforated plates during the needling process in which time they are mechanically entangled by the needles.

The final product of the process is a needle punched nonwoven web of coconut fibers mat has a higher mechanical stability than loosely held web of coconut fibers and the weight of the nonwoven web of coconut fiber is 55kg / cubic meter.

Example 2

The bio degradable nonwoven fiber web made through example 1 is further strengthened by means of chemical bonding with binder solution made out of 100% bio degradable components. The biodegradable binder solution has the below mentioned composition.

Iso propyl Alcohol 85%
Shellac Resin 14%
Glycerin 1%

The binder solution prepared as per the above composition was coated on the nonwoven web of biodegradable fibers made by example 1 through an air assisted spray coating process. In this process, the binder solution is sprayed on to the nonwoven web by a spray gun in which the spray coating pattern is adjusted by controlling the flow of compressed air into the spray gun. The resultant spray coated non woven web of biodegradable fiber is passed through a drying chamber which is heated by means of a series of Infrared lamps, followed by a series of electrical heaters. The nonwoven web of biodegradable fiber that comes out of the drying chamber is free from any solvent. The resultant non woven web of biodegradable fiber coated with biodegradable binder weighs 60 kg per cubic meter.

Example 3

The biodegradable binder solution as explained in example 2 can be blended with other binders as an extended option as shown in the below mentioned composition.

Binder composition from Example 2 91%

Acrylic latex dispersion 9%

The binder solution prepared as per the above composition was coated on the nonwoven web of biodegradable fibers made by example 1 through an air assisted spray coating process. In this process, the binder solution is sprayed on to the nonwoven web by a spray gun in which the spray coating pattern is adjusted by controlling the flow of compressed air into the spray gun. The resultant spray coated non woven web of biodegradable fiber is passed through a drying chamber which is heated by means of a series of Infrared lamps, followed by a series of electrical heaters. The nonwoven web of biodegradable fiber that comes out of the drying chamber is free from any solvents. The resultant non woven web is a web of biodegradable fiber coated with a blend of biodegradable binder and acrylic latex.

Example 4

The biodegradable non woven web made out of biodegradable fiber and bio degradable binder is coated with bio degradable composition of abrasive mix for increasing the cleaning efficiency of the end product. The biodegradable abrasive composition is made as per the below mentioned formulation Iso Propyl Alcohol 80% Shellac resin 14% Cellulose pulp of 120 microns 6%
The abrasive mix composition prepared as per the above composition was coated on the nonwoven web, made with biodegradable fibers and bio degradable binders made by example 2, through roll coating process. In this process, the resultant biodegradable web from example 2 is immersed in the abrasive mix as per the above formulation and then squeezed between two rollers that are counter rotating in direction to each other. The resultant roll coated non woven web of biodegradable fiber is passed through a drying chamber which is heated by means of a series of Infrared lamps, followed by a series of electrical heaters. The nonwoven web of biodegradable fiber that comes out of the drying chamber is free from any Isoproyl alcohol and other solvents. The resultant non woven web is web of biodegradable fiber coated with biodegradable binder and bio degradable abrasives.

Example 5

The biodegradable non woven web made out of biodegradable fiber and bio degradable binder is coated with bio degradable composition of abrasive mix for increasing the cleaning effeciency of the end product. The biodegradable abrasive composition is made as per the below mentioned formulation.

Iso Propyl Alcohol 80% Shellac resin 14% Cellulose pulp of 120 microns 5%
Fly Ash powder of 120 microns 1% The abrasive mix composition prepared as per the above composition was coated on the nonwoven web, made with biodegradable fibers and bio degradable binders made by example 2, through roll coating process. In this process, the resultant biodegradable web from example 2 is immersed in the abrasive mix as per the above formulation and then squeezed between two rollers that are counter rotating in direction to each other. The resultant roll coated non woven web of biodegradable fiber is passed through a drying chamber which is heated by means of a series of Infrared lamps, followed by a series of electrical heaters. The nonwoven web of biodegradable fiber that comes out of the drying chamber is free from any Isoproyl alcohol and other solvents. The resultant non woven web is web of biodegradable fiber coated with biodegradable binder and bio degradable abrasives.

Example 6

The biodegradable abrasive mix as explained in example 4 can be blended with other natural abrasives, as an extended option, as shown in the below mentioned composition.

Abrasive mix composition from Example 4 77% Feldspar 23% The abrasive mix composition prepared as per the above composition was coated on the nonwoven web, made with biodegradable fibers and bio degradable binders made by example 2, through roll coating process. In this process, the resultant biodegradable web from example 2 is immersed in the abrasive mix as per the above formulation and then squeezed between two rollers that are counter rotating in direction to each other. The resultant roll coated non woven web of biodegradable fiber is passed through a drying chamber which is heated by means of a series of Infrared lamps, followed by a series of electrical heaters. The nonwoven web of biodegradable fiber that comes out of the drying chamber is free from any Isoproyl alcohol and other solvents. The resultant non woven web is web of biodegradable fiber coated with biodegradable binder and a blend of bio degradable and natural abrasives.

Example 7

The biodegradable abrasive mix as explained in example 4 can be blended with an anti-bacterial agent, as shown in the below mentioned composition.

Abrasive mix composition from Example 4 99.8% Silver Nano particles dispersed in water 0.2%

The abrasive mix composition prepared as per the above composition was coated on the nonwoven web, made with biodegradable fibers and bio degradable binders made by example 2, through roll coating process. In this process, the resultant biodegradable web from example 2 is immersed in the abrasive mix as per the above formulation and then squeezed between two rollers that are counter rotating in direction to each other. The resultant roll coated non woven web of biodegradable fiber is passed through a drying chamber which is heated by means of a series of Infrared lamps, followed by a series of electrical heaters.

The nonwoven web of biodegradable fiber that comes out of the drying chamber is free from any Isoproyl alcohol and other solvents. The resultant non woven web is web of biodegradable fiber coated with biodegradable binder, bio degradable abrasives and an antibacterial agent.

Example 8

The biodegradable abrasive mix as explained in example 4 can be made by including a bio degradable coloring agent as shown in the below mentioned composition.

Iso propyl alcohol 78% Shellac resin 14% Glycerin 1% Cellulose pulp 5%
Turmeric powder 2% The abrasive mix composition prepared as per the above composition was coated on the nonwoven web, made with biodegradable fibers and bio degradable binders made by example 2, through roll coating process. In this process, the resultant biodegradable web from example 2 is immersed in the abrasive mix as per the above formulation and then squeezed between two rollers that are counter rotating in direction to each other. The resultant roll coated non woven web of biodegradable fiber is passed through a drying chamber which is heated by means of a series of Infrared lamps, followed by a series of electrical heaters. The nonwoven web of biodegradable fiber that comes out of the drying chamber is free from any Isoproyl alcohol and other solvents. The resultant non woven web is web of biodegradable fiber coated with biodegradable binder, bio degradable abrasives colored with a bio degradable coloring agent.

Example 9

The resultant bio degradable abrasive scrub pad made by example 4 is evaluated for cleaning performance through a combination of testing methods including a procedure as per ASTM D4158 method.

Step 1: Creation of grime on the vessel from food stuff An effective testing area is created on the vessel by smearing boiled milk and tea mixture on to flat circular test piece of 110mm diameter and spread all over the plate uniformly by a brush. The plate was then heated by means of electrical heated coil. The milk and tea mixture got burnt on the test piece thereby forming heavy grime deposit on the piece. The amount of grime deposited over the test piece was 30 grams per square meter.

Step 2: Testing of cleaning efficiency of the scrub pad The test piece coated with grime, as per the stepl, is subjected to uniform rub test as per procedures of ASTM D4158.for a period of 20 seconds. The test is conducted with two types of scrub pads viz., (i) bio degradable scrub pad made as per example 4, (ii) commercially available nonwoven abrasive scrub pad. The result of the test reveals the efficiency of the scrub pads removing the grime. Below mentioned table shows the test results.

Scrub pad type % of grime removed Bio degradable scrub pad as per example 4 100% Commercially available non woven abrasive scrub pad 87% Step 3: Testing of wear resistance of the scrub pad The test piece coated with grime, as per the stepl, is subjected to uniform rub test as per procedures of ASTM D4158.for a period of 20 seconds. The test is conducted with two types of scrub pads viz., (i) bio degradable scrub pad made as per example 4, (ii) commercially available nonwoven abrasive scrub pad. The result of the test reveals the wear and tear of the scrub pad during the rubbing process. Below mentioned table shows the test results Scrub pad type % weight loss of the scrub pad Bio degradable scrub pad as per example 4 3.0%
Commercially available non woven abrasive scrub pad 2.8% Step 4: Testing of scratching behavior of the scrub pad The initial surface roughness of the test piece is measured using surface roughness measuring instrument as per the procedures of ASTM D 7127-05. The test piece is coated with grime, as per the stepl, and subjected to uniform rub test as per procedures of ASTM D4158 for a period of 20 seconds. The test is conducted with two types of scrub pads viz., (i) bio degradable scrub pad made as per example 4, (ii) commercially available nonwoven abrasive scrub pad. The test piece is then washed, dried the surface roughness of the test piece is measured once again as per ASTM D 7127-05. The result of the test reveals the extent of scratch made by the scrub pad on the test piece during the rubbing process.

Scrub pad type Extent of scratch created on the test piece Bio degradable scrub pad as per example 4 0 micron Commercially available non woven abrasive scrub pad 0.04 micron

We claim:

1. An abrasive material comprising three-dimensional non-woven web of biodegradable fibers coated with biodegradable binder solution and plurality of biodegradable abrasive particles.

2. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fiber is 100% biodegradable.

3. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the non-woven web of fibers including the binder solution but without the abrasive particles has a maximum density up to 70 kg/m3.

4. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the biodegradable fibers may be virgin fibers or waste fibers reclaimed from the industries.

5. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the biodegradable fibers are natural fibers derived from plants.

6. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 5, wherein the fibers derived from the plants includes (i) coconut fibers, (ii) banana fibers, (iii) jute fibers, (iv) sisal fibers, (v) cotton fibers or mixtures thereof.

7. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the binder solution is 100% biodegradable.

8. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the binder solution comprises a solvent, bonding agent and a plasticizer.

9. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 8, wherein the binder solution comprises 75-90% (w/w) of solvent, 10-30% (w/w) of bonding agent and 1% of plasticizer.

10. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 8, wherein the solvent is selected from the group comprising water, C2 - C6 hydrocarbon, isopropyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol and their derivatives or combinations thereof.

11. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 8, wherein the bonding agent is selected from the group comprising (i) Shellac resin, (ii) natural wax and its emulsion, (iii) gum Arabic, (iv) acrylic emulsion binders, (v) epoxy binders and (vi) polyurethane binders.

12. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 8, wherein the plasticizer is glycerin.

13. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the binder solution for the abrasive coating comprises solvent, bonding agent and abrasives.

14. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 13, wherein binder solution for the abrasive coating comprises 75-85% (w/w) of solvent, 8-14% (w/w) of bonding agent and 5-8% of abrasives.

15. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 13, wherein binder solution for the abrasive coating is 100% biodegradable.

16. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 13, wherein the abrasives are selected from any or all of natural abrasives and their blends such as agglomerated fly ash, coconut shell powder, cashew nut shell powder, walnut shell powder, activated charcoal, cellulose pulp, garnet, emery, quartz, clay powder, talc and feldspar.

17. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 13, wherein the amount of abrasives comprises from 20 to 80 % of the final product weight.

18. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 13, wherein the particle size of the abrasives ranges from 120 microns to 50 nm.

19. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 1, wherein it further comprises an anti¬microbial agent.

20. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 19, wherein the anti-microbial agent is selected from any naturally occurring and/or synthetic anti-bacterial agent preferably silver nano particles.

21. The abrasive material as claimed in claim 1, wherein it further comprises a biodegradable colouring agent.

22. A process for manufacturing the biodegradable non-woven abrasive material comprises the following steps:

(a) forming a three-dimensional non-woven web of biodegradable fibers;

(b) coating the web with biodegradable binder solution and

(c) applying biodegradable abrasive particles to the coated web.

21. The abrasive material as claimed as claimed in claim 1, wherein it further comprises a biodegradable coloring agent .

23. The process as claimed in claim 22, wherein the step (a) is performed using methods such as (i) carding, (ii) random air laid, (iii) cross lapping and/or (iv) needle punching.

24. The process as claimed in claim 22, wherein the biodegradable fibers do not undergo any pre-treatment step.

25. The process as claimed in claim 22, wherein the step (b) is performed using methods such as (i) roll coating, (ii) roll and knife coating, (iii) spray coating and/or (iv) saturation coating.

26. The process as claimed in claim 22, wherein the step (c) is performed using methods such as (i) roll coating or spray coating, (ii) spraying of the abrasives, (iii) fluidized bed coating and/or (iv) gravity coating.