Study of Water Absorption Properties of Water Absorption Core Made of Pulp Mold

The water absorption properties of the water absorption core made of pulp mold were investigated in this study. The pulp mold samples were modified using various natural non-wood fibers such as cotton linter, kapok, abaca, Tencel and through the high bulk-forming process with the low polarity solvent in order to find main factors for improving the water absorption properties. The application of the kapok fibers resulted in the higher water absorption amount following the bulkier structure. The alkali treated kapok showed the higher water retention value and the improvement in the water absorption properties. The bulk of the pulp mold samples was greatly increased by the high bulk-forming process with low polarity solvent, which led to a significant improvement in the water absorption amount. The addition of natural water absorption additives such as glucomannan and carboxyl methyl cellulose (CMC) also increased the water absorption amount. The double-layered pulp mold samples were prepared as a water absorption core made of the kapok fiber, utilizing the high bulk-forming process with the addition of the glucomannan, which resulted in a significant increase in the water absorption properties.