Processing of Clay Nanoparticles and Studying its Effect on the Antimicrobial Properties and Water Absorption of Sanitary Paper

This study was conducted to enhance the antimicrobial properties and water absorption of sanitary papers. For this purpose, Montmorillonite nano clay with Bentonite brand (Has a layered structure in which its thickness is Nano metric), was processed with homogenizer to achieve a stable colloidal system with nanometer dimensions of particle size. Then, different weight levels of raw and homogenized nano clay were used to manufacture the paper and its effect on the antibacterial properties (Against both Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis) and water absorption were evaluated. Results showed that homogenized nano clay improved the antibacterial properties of paper due to much more adsorption and its specific surface. On the other hand, the effect of this substance on the growth reduction of Bacillus bacteria was more than Escherichia coli bacteria. Also, water absorption of papers increased with the addition of nano clay and homogenized nano clay. Also the effect of homogenized nano clay on this parameter was greater.