Absorbency Of Paper Towels Research

Literature Review: Research into this topic shows that it is not as simplistic as might be imagined, but has in fact been examined as part of rigorous research projects undertaken on behalf of paper towel manufacturers (Beuther et al, 2010).The ways in which paper towels absorb, and therefore the rates at which they are able to absorb, vary depending on the microscopic fiber structures within individual paper towels, which of course vary greatly depending on the manufacturing materials and processes in the making of each brand of paper towels (Beuther et al, 2010).

Literature Review: Research into this topic shows that it is not as simplistic as might be imagined, but has in fact been examined as part of rigorous research projects undertaken on behalf of paper towel manufacturers (Beuther et al, 2010).The ways in which paper towels absorb, and therefore the rates at which they are able to absorb, vary depending on the microscopic fiber structures within individual paper towels, which of course vary greatly depending on the manufacturing materials and processes in the making of each brand of paper towels (Beuther et al, 2010).

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When you looked through your microscope, did you also see the spaces between the fibers?

These empty spaces affect the absorbency of the paper: Water likes to stick together and fill these spaces as it follows the water attracted to the cellulose. But what would happen if you add a tiny space between sheets of paper towels?

The water attaches to the cellulose and hangs out in the air space.

Thinner paper towels have less air space in between their cellulose molecules and thus hold less water.

’s free newsletters."data-newsletterpromo-image="https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/458BF87F-514B-44EE-B87F5D531772CF83_source.png"data-newsletterpromo-button-text="Sign Up"data-newsletterpromo-button-link="https:// origincode=2018_sciam_Article Promo_Newsletter Sign Up"name="article Body" itemprop="article Body"Key concepts Absorption Paper Water Molecules Introduction We all know that washing hands throughout the day can help keep colds and flu at bay.

So several times a day we lather up, scrub, rinse and then use a paper towel—then another one, maybe even three or four to dry them off. But could there be a way to conserve some of that paper by getting a paper towel to go the extra mile, allowing you to dry your hands with just one single sheet? Background To understand how paper towels absorb water, we need to know a little about how they are made. If you look through a microscope at a torn-up piece of paper (or look up some images on the Internet), you will see a web of tiny plant fibers.We'll not only see which ones will be best to clean up spills, but also understand how they work through scientific properties of water.Our goal is to answer the research question: ''Which brand of paper towels has the greatest absorbency? You've managed to spill cola all over your books and the floor while you were studying in the living room. You notice your family got the store brand instead of a brand name. Slowly apply one drop of water to the first brand of paper towels.Fiber types and construction patterns have also been demonstrated to have a large impact on absorbency in natural and synthetic textiles examined in a similar experiment (Beskisiz et al, 2009).Both of these pieces of research suggest certain controls for the paper towel experiment described herein (Beuther et al, 2010; Bekisiz et al, 2009).This is expected, as the tiny space between paper towel layers helps hold more water.Paper is made of cellulose, which water molecules like to cling to. Paper towels are especially absorbent because their cellulose fibers have empty spaces—tiny air bubbles—between them.These fibers are made of cellulose, long chains of sugar molecules linked together.Water sticks to cellulose through the process of cohesion, where water molecules adhere to other molecules.Water molecules, which like to stay together, follow the one another as they are absorbed by the cellulose and fill the empty spaces.Layering the paper towel creates more spaces for water to fill, which explains why your layered paper towel could hold more water and was more efficient at drying your hands.