Completely biodegradable sanitary napkin developed successfully

According to foreign media reports, the staff of SHEVA, a non-profit advocacy organization for women in Guatemala, contacted Jeff Bates, an assistant professor at the University of Utah, and said that the organization is looking for more environmentally friendly feminine hygiene products because most of the country Lack of public health systems. Bates then worked with his engineering team of students to create a fully biodegradable sanitary napkin containing algae.

This new type of sanitary napkin is called SHERO Pad and it consists of four layers. These include an outer layer of raw cotton, a second layer of organic cotton that absorbs liquid from the outer layer, and a third layer of a superabsorbent layer containing agarose gel (a polymer derived from brown algae). It is based on corn material and prevents leakage by maintaining moisture.

Although previous researchers have developed other "eco-friendly" sanitary napkins, some of them contain hydrogels that are not completely biodegradable. In contrast, SHERO Pad is fully biodegradable in 45 days to 6 months. In addition, SHEVA staff can also use the locally sourced materials and simple tools to make such sanitary napkins.

Prior to the Indian Institute of Technology scientists created a biodegradable sanitary napkins, while incorporating nanofibers made of cellulose acetate.