Description:FORM 2
THE PATENT ACT, 1970
(39 OF 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10 and rule 13)
1. Title of the invention: “Biodegradable and Plastic Free Absorbent Layers for Sanitary Pads and Diapers”
2. Applicant:
NAME NATIONALITY ADDRESS
1. Marwadi University
2. Khushal Katdare
3. Foram Kundalia
4. Amit V Sata
5. Prof Vivek Patel
6. Prof Dhaval Anadkat INDIAN Marwadi University, Rajkot-Morbi Highway, At Gauridad, Rajkot – 360003, Gujarat, India

3. Preamble to the description
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:

Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to the development of bio-degradable and plastic free absorbent layers used in sanitary pads and diapers by using stubble (reaped crops of wheat as well as rice).
Background of the Invention:
India is known for its agricultural capabilities, and agriculture with allied sectors contribute more than 20% in Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of nation. The major contributions in GDP comes by producing Wheat (more than 112 million tonne in 2022-23) and Rice (more than 100 million tonne in 2022-23). The major of wheat production happens in Northern and Central part of India while rice production happens in Northern and Southern part of India. The crops related to wheat are reaped during months of February-March while rice are usually reaped during September-October. It is a typical tradition followed by majority of farmers of India to burn the stubble (reaped crops of wheat as well as rice) before harvesting new chain of crops in different parts of India.
The burning of stubble usually leads in great amount of air pollution, and largely affects the daily-life of people residing in nearby areas of farms. The level of air pollution created by burning stubble has been drastically increased in recent times, and needs to be controlled by finding appropriate use of stubble. This will not only reduce the level of air pollution but it will also provide an opportunity to get value of stubble for farmers.
Indian women are also observed to be very reluctant in use of sanitary pads, and it is observed that less than 20% of women from India use the sanitary pads during their menstrual periods. Authorities of various levels are putting lots of efforts to encourage women for the use of sanitary pads. However, most of sanitary pads available in market consists a reasonable amount of non-biodegradable plastics, and are very difficult to dispose. In case, 50% of Indian women are motivated to initiate the use of traditional sanitary pads then another challenge related to disposal of plastic available in traditional sanitary pads will come up in front of authorities.
Therefore, there is a pressing need to address both challenges mentioned above by development of bio-degradable plastic free sanitary pads with the use of stubble that are burnt in very large quantity in India every year. Sanitary pads are usually comprised of various layers including top layer (nonwoven, hydrophobic, skin-friendly), intermediate layers (absorbent and antibacterial) and bottom layer (hydrophobic with appropriate gripping arrangement). The present invention is mainly focused on development of biodegradable and plastic free absorbent layers used in sanitary pads as well as diapers with the use of stubble.
Object of the Invention:
The main objective of the present invention is to develop biodegradable and plastic free absorbent layers used in sanitary pads and diapers with the use of stubble (reaped crops of wheat as well as rice).
Another objective of the present invention is to utilize the stubble that are burnt in very large quantities every year for making useful product related absorbent layers for sanitary pads and diapers.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to encourage farmers to reduce the burning of stubble and generate value from stubble.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to enhance the quality of air by reducing air pollution occurred due to burning of stubble.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to eliminate the use of plastic in making sanitary pads and diapers.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to develop low cost sanitary pads and diapers with comparable absorbent capacity.
Summary of the Invention:

The present invention is mainly focused on development of biodegradable and plastic free absorbent layers used in sanitary pads as well as diapers with the use of stubble (reaped crops of wheat as well as rice). There is a pressing need to address the challenges of burning of stubble which leads to the increase in air pollution and disposition of non-biodegradable sanitary pads. The present invention overcomes both the challenges by utilizing the stubble for making useful product related absorbent layers used in sanitary pads and diapers.
The present invention eliminates the use of plastic by making biodegradable absorbent layers for sanitary pads and diapers and also encourages farmers to reduce the burning of stubble, and generate value from stubble. The present invention also enhances the quality of air by reducing air pollution occurred due to burning of stubble. The stubble based absorbent layers are environment friendly with low cost and comparable absorbent capacity.

Brief Description of drawings:
Figure 1 shows Wheat stubble in farm
Figure 2 shows Wheat stubble
Figure 3 shows Chopped stubble
Figure 4 shows Pulverise machine
Figure 5 shows Stubble transformed into fibres
Figure 6 shows thick slurry prepared from boiled flaked stubble
Figure 7 shows Bleached stubble in the form of pulp
Figure 8 shows thin absorbent layer
Figure 9 shows Absorbent layer with required shape for sanitary pad

Detailed Description of the Invention:
The following description relates to a particular manifestation of the present invention. The present invention relates to the development of absorbent layers used in sanitary pads and diapers by using stubble those are burnt in very large quantities every year.
Sanitary pads are usually comprised of various layers including top layer (nonwoven, hydrophobic, skin-friendly), intermediate layers (absorbent and antibacterial) and bottom layer (hydrophobic with appropriate gripping arrangement). The present invention relates to developing biodegradable and plastic free absorbent layers for sanitary pads as well as diapers with the use of stubble.
It is a typical tradition followed by majority of farmers of India to burn the stubble (reaped crops of wheat as well as rice) before harvesting new chain of crops in different parts of India. Burning of stubble usually leads in great amount of air pollution, and largely affects the daily-life of people residing in nearby areas of farms. The level of air pollution created by burning stubble has been drastically increased in recent times, and needs to be controlled by finding appropriate use of stubble. The present invention helps in utilization of stubble that are burnt in very large quantities every year by making valuable product related to absorbent layers used in sanitary pads and diapers.
Most of the sanitary pads available in market consists a reasonable amount of non-biodegradable plastics, and are very difficult to dispose. The present invention addresses the problem by making biodegradable and plastic free absorbent layers.
The present invention eliminates the use of plastic by making biodegradable absorbent layers for sanitary pads and diapers and also encourages farmers to reduce the burning of stubble, and generate value from stubble. The present invention also enhances the quality of air by reducing air pollution occurred due to burning of stubble. The stubble based absorbent layers are environment friendly with low cost and comparable absorbent capacity.
The main embodiment of the present invention which involves specific quantity of pulverised powder prepared from stubble related to wheat for making absorbent layer is elaborately explained as follows:
1. Stubble related to wheat that are likely to be burnt easily available from farmers. However, specific size of stubble does not play any important role for further proceedings. Stubble related to wheat is available at routine farms, and taken for development of absorbent layer as shown in figure 1 and figure 2.
2. Wheat stubble are collected, and chopped (manually or with the help of chopper machine) into size of 10-15 cm in length as shown in figure 3
3. Chopped stubble are transformed into the form of flakes using pulverize machine (figure 4) with mesh size of 6 (nearly 3 mm size of hole) (figure 5).
4. Specific quantity of flaked stubble has been mixed with specific quantity of water in the ratio of 1:15, and boiled using suitable equipment (pressure cooker if working at domestic level or autoclave if working at industrial level) for 15 minutes at 240 0C. Flaked stubble has been transformed into thick slurry (figure 6), and allowed it cool till room temperature for further proceedings.
5. Thick slurry prepared from flaked boiled stubble has been filtered (approximately with the size of 75-micron mesh), followed by non-pressurized washing with distilled water (usually in the ratio of 1:20 and for not more than 10 minute).
6. Washed stubble (in wet form) has been bleached (using Calcium Hypochlorite with concentration of 95-98%) with ratio of 1:10 for 8-12 hours till the color of washed stubble becomes white. The bleached stubble is the form of pulp, as shown in figure 7.
7. Bleached stubble (in the form of pulp) has been non-pressurized washed with distilled water in the ratio of 1:30 for the period of 30-45 minutes.
8. Pulp is collected in separate container, and mixed with distilled water in the ratio of 1:20. This mixture is manually or mechanically stirred with sufficient revolution per minute in order to keep particles of pulp floated on top surface of mixture of pulp and water.
9. Sieve of 100-micron with suitable diameter is dipped (manually or mechanically) inside mixture of pulp and water to collect particles of pulp over sieves. This is dried with heat (in the range of temperature of 50-60 ?) for the period of 5-10 minutes. This leads in development of thin layer of absorbent layer (figure 8).
10. Thin absorbent layer is then cut into required shape, and shown in figure 9.
Furthermore, the details of the items used in the making of absorbent layers is as follows:
No. Item description Details
1 Stainless steel butcher knife Name: SS Steel knife
Weight: 0.5 kg
2 Pulveriser Name: Multipurpose pulveriser
Class: Heavy
Frequency: 50 Hz
Current: 10A
Rated speed: 2800 RPM
3 Stainless steel pressure cooker Name: Stainless steel pressure cooker
Capacity: 10 liters
4 Induction Cooktop Name: Prestige cooktop
Power: 2400 watt
3 Stainless steel spatula Name: Stainless steel lab spatula
5 Air tight plastic container Name: Any Air tight containers
Capacity: 20 liters
6 Stainless steel mesh (20, 24 cm diameter) Name: Stainless steel mesh for straining

7 Stainless steel tank Capacity: 40 liters
8 Plastic tank Capacity: 15 liters
9 Rubber gloves Name: Chemical resistant gloves
Material: Latex rubber
10 Bleach Name: Calcium Hypochlorite
Purity: 95-98%
Chlorine concentration: 22-25%

Main embodiment of the present invention, a Biodegradable and Plastic Free Absorbent Layers for Sanitary Pads and Diapers comprising of:
a) top nonwoven, hydrophobic and skin-friendly layer;
b) intermediate absorbent and antibacterial layers made up of by using stubble/reaped crops of wheat and rice; and
c) bottom hydrophobic with appropriate gripping arrangement layer;
wherein said absorbent layer is biodegradable, plastic free, environmentally friendly, and low cost with comparable absorbent capacity.
Another embodiment of the present invention, said absorbent layer tested for its absorbent capacity to absorb 13 ml of water within 80 seconds.

Another embodiment of the present invention, a method for making Biodegradable and Plastic Free Absorbent Layers for Sanitary Pads and Diapers from stubble comprising of:
a) Wheat stubble are collected, and chopped manually or with the help of chopper machine into size of 10-15 cm in length;
b) Chopped stubble are transformed into the form of flakes using pulverize machine with mesh size of 6 and nearly 3 mm size of hole;
c) Specific quantity of flaked stubble has been mixed with specific quantity of water in the ratio of 1:15, and boiled using pressure cooker or autoclave for 15 minutes at 240 0C;
d) Thick slurry prepared from flaked boiled stubble has been filtered with the size of 75-micron mesh, flaked stubble has been transformed into thick slurry and allowed it cool till room temperature;
e) Non-pressurized washing of mixture of step d) with distilled water in the ratio of 1:20 and for not more than 10 minutes;
f) Washed stubble in wet form has been bleached by using Calcium Hypochlorite with concentration of 95-98% with ratio of 1:10 for 8-12 hours till the color of washed stubble becomes white;
g) Bleached stubble in the form of pulp has been non-pressurized washed with distilled water in the ratio of 1:30 for the period of 30-45 minutes;
h) Pulp is collected in separate container, and mixed with distilled water in the ratio of 1:20;
i) mixture is manually or mechanically stirred with sufficient revolution per minute in order to keep particles of pulp floated on top surface of mixture of pulp and water;
j) Sieve of 100-micron with suitable diameter is dipped manually or mechanically inside mixture of pulp and water to collect particles of pulp over sieves;
k) Pulp is dried with heat in the range of temperature of 50-60 ? for the period of 5-10 minutes leads in development of thin layer of absorbent layer; and
l) Thin absorbent layer is then cut into required shape.
Absorbent layer was also tested for its absorbent capacity. It was observed that stubble based absorbent layer was able to absorb 13 ml of water within 80 seconds (9.75 ml per minute). There are no specific requirements related to capacity of absorption is mentioned in IS 5405: 2019 (Sanitary Napkins: Specification). However, absorbent capacity of stubble based absorbent layer is found competitive. , Claims:We claim,
1. A Biodegradable and Plastic Free Absorbent Layers for Sanitary Pads and Diapers comprising of:
a) top nonwoven, hydrophobic and skin-friendly layer;
b) intermediate absorbent and antibacterial layers made up of by using stubble/reaped crops of wheat and rice; and
c) bottom hydrophobic with appropriate gripping arrangement layer;
wherein said absorbent layer is biodegradable, plastic free, environmentally friendly, and low cost with comparable absorbent capacity.

2. The biodegradable and Plastic Free Absorbent Layers for Sanitary Pads and Diapers as claimed in claim 1, wherein said absorbent layer tested for its absorbent capacity to absorb 13 ml of water within 80 seconds.

3. A method for making Biodegradable and Plastic Free Absorbent Layers for Sanitary Pads and Diapers from stubble comprising of:
a) Wheat stubble are collected, and chopped manually or with the help of chopper machine into size of 10-15 cm in length;
b) Chopped stubble are transformed into the form of flakes using pulverize machine with mesh size of 6 and nearly 3 mm size of hole;
c) Specific quantity of flaked stubble has been mixed with specific quantity of water in the ratio of 1:15, and boiled using pressure cooker or autoclave for 15 minutes at 240 0C;
d) Thick slurry prepared from flaked boiled stubble has been filtered with the size of 75-micron mesh, flaked stubble has been transformed into thick slurry and allowed it cool till room temperature;
e) Non-pressurized washing of mixture of step d) with distilled water in the ratio of 1:20 and for not more than 10 minutes;
f) Washed stubble in wet form has been bleached by using Calcium Hypochlorite with concentration of 95-98% with ratio of 1:10 for 8-12 hours till the color of washed stubble becomes white;
g) Bleached stubble in the form of pulp has been non-pressurized washed with distilled water in the ratio of 1:30 for the period of 30-45 minutes;
h) Pulp is collected in separate container, and mixed with distilled water in the ratio of 1:20;
i) mixture is manually or mechanically stirred with sufficient revolution per minute in order to keep particles of pulp floated on top surface of mixture of pulp and water;
j) Sieve of 100-micron with suitable diameter is dipped manually or mechanically inside mixture of pulp and water to collect particles of pulp over sieves;
k) Pulp is dried with heat in the range of temperature of 50-60 ? for the period of 5-10 minutes leads in development of thin layer of absorbent layer; and
l) Thin absorbent layer is then cut into required shape.

Dated 25th Apr, 2023

Chothani Pritibahen Bipinbhai
Reg. No.: IN/PA-3148
For and on behalf of the applicant