Thursday, November 17
9:00 am - 11:30 am
Musings and Ruminations Regarding Sustainability and Superabsorbent Polymers
We will explore the history of SAP from its sustainable roots to the current global standard of polyacrylic acid. Then we will briefly review the current concepts around sustainable SAP and the outlook for these materials and an estimate of the potential market, both short and long term. This will be cast against the general understanding of what IS sustainable SAP and then look at the hurdles to clear in the near future including costs, regulatory silos and the performance expectations of the converters and market.
Monday, November 14
1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Absorption Systems for Absorbent Hygiene Products
This hands-on workshop will introduce you to the complex engineering built into every disposable hygiene product. You’ll have the opportunity to evaluate SAP absorption for different SAPs, identify the presence of adhesives, and deconstruct and examine several hygiene products including infant, adult, and femcare products to increase your understanding of these systems.
Take away new knowledge of the key raw materials used in absorbent hygiene cores for baby, adult and femcare products.
Understand how hygiene cores interact to provide efficient fluid management.
Apply product concepts to develop new hygiene solutions.
Attend and gain a preliminary understanding of ideas and concepts used for absorbent cores in the consumer hygiene product space. You’ll discover the benefits and role of individual core components used to help provide efficient dry management of human fluids.
Learn the functions of fluff pulp, super absorbent polymer (SAP), acquisition and distribution layer (ADL) and adhesives from a material systems approach.
Review new testing concepts that provide insight into the fluid management of cores along with concepts from traditional fluff and SAP cores to fluffless concepts.
Designed for professionals in the hygiene space or consumer hygiene products involved with:
Raw materials
Engineering
R&D
Technical sales and marketing
Manufacturing
Product development
Quality control
» Jim Robinson
Principal, Absorbent Hygiene Insights, LLC
BIOGRAPHY
With a wealth of expertise in absorbent hygiene, Jim Robinson has more than 35 years’ experience in the chemical industry. For 10 years, his work with BASF focused on pulp and paper chemistry, and 25 of his years there were spent on superabsorbent polymers (SAP). Prior to joining BASF, he served as a technical service representative for Hoechst Celanese.Mr. Robinson has been a contributor on several patents on superabsorbent polymers with hygiene and industrial applications. Now retired, his last position was Manager of Technical Service for BASF’s Hygiene Business.
Jim earned a BS in Chemistry (ACS) from Hampden-Sydney College, and an MS in Inorganic Chemistry and Spectroscopy from Duke University.