GB2484511A

GB2484511A - Article comprising a micro-organism capable of cleaving carbon-carbon bonds

Info

Publication number: GB2484511A
Application number: GB1017310.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ingrid Gustafson; Ulrika Husmark
Original assignee: SCA Hygiene Products AB
Current assignee: Essity Hygiene and Health AB
Priority date: 2010-10-13
Filing date: 2010-10-13
Publication date: 2012-04-18
Also published as: GB201017310D0

Abstract

A sanitary or wiping article comprises a component selected from a fibre, a film, a particle and a foam, the component comprising a polyolefin polymer and the article further comprising at least one strain of micro-organisms which is capable of cleaving carbon-carbon bonds in polyolefin polymers. The strain of micro-organisms may be bacteria selected from Bacillus, Propagules, Acinetobacter, Arthrobacter, Rhodococcus, Leptothrix, Sphingomonas and Pseudomonas. Alternatively, the strain of micro-organisms can be yeast, such as Saccharomyces, or mold, wherein the mold may be selected from Aspergillus and Fusarium. Preferably, the polyolefin polymer is polyethylene or polypropylene. The article may become biodegradable with the addition of the at least one strain of micro-organisms. The article can be a hygiene tissue, sanitary napkin, panty liner, diaper, incontinence pad, wet wipe, dry wipe, washcloth, windscreen cleaning wipe, towelette etc. Preferably, the micro-organism is applied to the surface of the fibre, film, particle or foam.

Description

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SANITARY OR WIPING ARTICLE COMPRISING A MICRO-ORGANISM CAPABLE OF

CLEAVING CARBON-CARBON BONDS

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a sanitary or wiping article comprising a component chosen from a fiber, a film, a particle and a foam, the component comprising a polyolefin polymer. The sanitary or wiping article further comprises at least one strain of micro-organisms which is capable of cleaving carbon-carbon bonds in polyolefin polymers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One important area of development in the area of sanitary or wiping articles is environmentally-friendly solutions for waste management for sanitary or wiping articles after use. Especially sanitary articles, but also wiping articles, of today are mainly made of non-biodegradable materials, which means that used articles will not, or at least not for many years, break down and become part of the natural ecocycle. Instead the sanitary or wiping article will remain essentially intact and create problems with increasing waste to handle.

Various approaches exist to solve the problem of waste management for sanitary or wiping articles. US 4,338,938 and WO 95/1 0992 discloses washable reusable diapers.

A second approach involves the use of biodegradable materials, such as starch and cellulose-based materials. Furthermore, it is known from US 4,944,734 to include bacteria and spores in such articles in order to enhance the biodegradability. The biodegradability enhancer agent is selected from the group consisting of cellulase, hemicellulase, and/or related cellulose degrading enzymes, and bacteria which release cellulase, hemicellulase, and/or related cellulose degrading enzymes.

In general, it is known that polymers with carbon-carbon bond sequences which also comprise polar bonds may be degradable. For example polysaccharides or cellulose may be degraded, special enzymes which break down polyesters exist and polyamides are sensitive to hydrolysis.

Hence, in view of the above there is still a need to provide a disposable sanitary or wiping article using conventional synthetic materials while at the same time providing a solution for the waste management of said sanitary article after use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above defined problem is solved in the present invention by adding at least one strain of micro-organisms, which is capable of cleaving carbon-carbon bonds in polyolefin polymers, to a sanitary or wiping article comprising a component chosen from a fiber, a film, a particle and a foam, the component comprising a polyolefin polymer. By adding the present type of micro-organisms to a sanitary or wiping article comprising these conventional synthetic polymer materials, the article is, at least partly, made biodegradable.

In order to secure an efficient degradation of the sanitary or wiping article, the micro-organisms are preferably added in amounts of at least 102 CFU per gram of polyolefin polymer in said sanitary article.

The micro-organisms according to the present invention may be bacteria. The bacteria may be chosen from the group of Bacillus, Propagules, Acinetobacter, Arthrobacter, Rhodococcus, Leptothrix, Sphingomonas and Pseudomonas.

The micro-organisms according to the invention may also be yeast. The yeast may be Saccharomyces.

The micro-organisms according to the present invention may further be mold. The mold may be chosen from the group of Aspergillus and Fusarium.

Polyethylene or polypropylene are commonly used polymers in sanitary and wiping articles and may become biodegradable with the addition of the bacteria according to the present invention.

The micro-organisms according to the invention may be added in different ways to the sanitary or wiping article; they may either be incorporated into said component and they may also be applied onto the surface of said component. The different ways of adding the micro-organisms may serve different purposes. By incorporating the micro-organisms they are kept separate from the user by means of a polymer layer and the materials may easily be pre-made by a supplier or at a different location. Pre-made materials are easier to handle compared to when the micro-organisms are added in-line, especially during the manufacturing of sanitary articles. Furthermore, since the micro-organisms are imbedded they are kept inactive and the biodegradation may be completely controlled until the articles are grinded and corn posted. Adding the micro-organisms on the surface of a component according to the present invention is a simple and cheap way to add the micro-organisms to the sanitary or wiping articles.

The wiping article may be a hygiene tissue.

DEFINITiONS Throughout the specification and claims, the use of "comprising" is intended to cover also the more restricting meanings "essentially consisting or' and "consisting of'.

The term "sanitary article" refers to articles that are placed against the skin of the wearer to absorb and contain body exudates, like urine, faeces and menstrual fluid. The invention mainly refers to disposable sanitary articles, which means articles that are not intended to be laundered or otherwise restored or reused as a sanitary article after use. Examples of disposable sanitary articles include feminine hygiene articles such as sanitary napkins, panty liners and sanitary panties; diapers and pant diapers for infants and incontinent adults; incontinence pads; diaper inserts, tampons and the like.

The term "wiping article" refers to all types of non-woven articles for wiping, cleaning and caring of the skin and the urogenital area, industry wipes, windscreen cleaning wipes and the like.

By "hygiene tissue" is meant any device for wiping, cleaning and caring of the skin and the urogenital area, for instance a wet wipe, dry wipe, washcloth, patch, towelette, napkin, and the like.

By "micro-organism" is meant a bacteria, yeast or mold.

By "polyolefin polymer" we understand a polymer produced from ethylene or propylene or mixtures thereof which optionally also could contain hexane, octene or similar low molecular weight hydrocarbons. The resulting polymer could be a homopolymer or a copolymer, which include random, alternating, block or grafted copolymers and mixtures thereof. Included in the term "polyolefin polymer" is also polyolefins with elastomeric properties like EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene) in which the diene could be dicyclopentadiene, ethylidene norbornene and vinyl norbornene or block copolymers of ethylene and propylene produced by a metallocene process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A sanitary article according to an embodiment of the invention has a Iiquid-pervious topsheet, which during use is facing the wearer's body. The sanitary article further comprises a liquid-impervious backsheet, it may also comprise an absorbent core enclosed between the liquid-pervious topsheet and the liquid-impervious backsheet.

A suitable topsheet may be manufactured from a wide range of materials such as woven and nonwoven materials (e.g. a nonwoven web of fibers), manmade polymeric materials such as apertured plastic films, e.g. apertured formed thermoplastic films and hydroformed thermoplastic films, porous foams and reticulated foams. Suitable woven and nonwoven materials can be comprised of natural fibers (e.g. wood or cotton fibers), manmade fibers (e.g. synthetic polymeric fibers such as polyesters, polypropylene or polyethylene fibers) or from a combination of natural and manmade polymeric fibers. When the topsheet comprises a nonwoven web, the web may be manufactured by a wide number of known techniques. For example, the web may be spun-bonded, carded, wet-laid, melt-blown, hydroentangled, combinations of the above or the like.

Optionally, at least one further layer exists between the absorbent core and the topsheet and may be made from hydrophobic and hydrophilic web or foam materials. As "web material" we understand coherent flat fiber-based structures of paper tissue, woven or nonwoven type. The nonwoven material may have the same features as described above for topsheets.

Specifically, the at least one further layer may contribute to fluid management, for instance in the form of at least one acquisition! distribution layer. Such structures are taught for instance by US 5,558,655, EP 0 640 330 Al, EP 0 631 768 Al or WO 95!01 147.

"Foam materials' are also well known in the art and for instance described in EP 0 878 481 Al or EP 1 217 978 Al in the name of the present applicant.

The absorbent core, which may be partially or totally surrounded by a core wrap, may comprise a superabsorbent material, optionally in admixture with any other material that is

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generally compressible, conformable, non-irritating to the wearer's skin and capable of absorbing, retaining and/or spreading liquids such as urine and other body exudates.

Examples of other absorbent materials include a wide variety of liquid-absorbent materials commonly used in disposable diapers and other sanitary articles such as comminuted wood pulp, which is generally referred to as air felt or fluff, as well as creped cellulose wadding; chemically stiffened, modified or cross-linked cellulosic fibers; tissue, including tissue wraps and tissue laminates, absorbent foams, absorbent sponges, absorbent gelling materials, or any other known absorbent materials or combinations of materials.

The term Usuperabsorbent material" is well known in the art and designates water-swellable, water-insoluble materials capable of absorbing a multiple of their own weight in body fluids. The superabsorbent material may be in any form suitable for use in sanitary articles including particles, fibers, foam and the like.

The superabsorbent material is based on homo-or copolymers comprising at least one polymerizable unit having an acidic group (e.g. a carboxylic acid group or a sulfonic acid group) such as methacrylic acid, acrylic acid, maleic acid or vinylsulfonic acid. The corresponding polymers include, but are not limited to poly(meth)acrylic acids, ethylene maleic anhydride copolymers, polymers and copolymers of vinylsulfonic acids, polyacrylates, acrylic acid grafted starch and isobutylene maleic anhydride copolymers.

These polymers are preferably crosslinked to render the materials substantially water insoluble. According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the superabsorbent material is a crosslinked homo-or copolymer comprising (meth)acrylic acid units, for instance of the type disclosed in EP 0 391 108 A2.

The liquid impermeable backsheet may consist of a thin plastic polymer film, e.g. a polyethylene or polypropylene film, a nonwoven material coated with a liquid impervious synthetic polymer, a hydrophobic nonwoven material, which resists liquid penetration.

Laminates of plastic polymer films and nonwoven materials may also be used. The backsheet material is preferably breathable so as to allow vapour to escape from the absorbent structure, while still preventing liquids from passing through the backsheet material.

The wiping article provided may be composed of a matrix comprising polyolefin fibers and the like, foam, non-woven felt or batting, or combinations thereof. The wiping article may further comprise any further polymeric fibers, such as polyester, rayon, cellulose, regenerated cellulose and textile.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a sanitary or wiping article and at the same time provide a solution for the waste management of said sanitary or wiping article after use.

It has according to the invention been discovered that the addition of micro-organisms capable of cleaving carbon-carbon bonds in polyolefin polymers to a sanitary or wiping article comprising components made of polyolefins solves the problem of high amounts of waste resulting from disposed sanitary or wiping articles. The addition of such micro-organisms promotes the degradation of sanitary or wiping articles by breaking down these otherwise non-degradable polymers. The components according to the present invention hereby become part of the natural ecocycle instead of building up non-degradable piles of waste.

Degradation of polymeric materials mainly occurs by chemical degradation. By chemical degradation is meant either biotic degradation or abiotic degradation. Biotic degradation is caused by micro-organisms or higher organisms using enzyme catalyzed pathways to break down the polymers. The end products are biomass and low molecular substances, such as carbon dioxide, methane and water. Abiotic degradation is caused by thermal degradation, hydrolysis, oxidation, UV-light and pH. However, complete abiotic degradation of a polyolefin polymer is generally a very slow process.

At the present, the major problem of degradability for sanitary and wiping articles relates to materials made of non-polar synthetic polymers such as polyolefins, which are commonly used polymers in sanitary and wiping articles. It is therefore especially advantageous to present a solution for rendering sanitary and wiping articles comprising polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene biodegradable.

Polyolefins may be produced from renewable sources, for example polyethylene made from sugarcanes. Adding the micro-organisms to a component made of a polymer produced from a renewable source would lead to a component leaving less or no carbon footprint.

It is also possible to use the micro-organisms to break down more polar polymers in order to accelerate the degradation of such polymers. Examples of polymers commonly used in sanitary articles and wiping articles which also can be degraded by the micro-organisms are the more polar ones like polyacrylate, polyester, polyvinyl alcohol, cellulose, starch-based polymers, polylactic acid and ethylene vinylacetate copolymers, but also rubber materials like styrenic elastomers, e.g. styrene-butadiene-styrene, styrene-isoprene-styrene, styrene-ethylene-butene-styrene and similar elastomers. Natural rubber and synthetic rubbers like butadiene and isoprene will also be degraded using the micro-organisms As stated above, non-polar polymers like polyolefins are normally not degraded in natural environments, The great majority of normally occurring micro-organisms do not have the capability to decompose these polymers. In traditional composts components in sanitary and wiping articles made of polyolefins will not be degraded, or they will at least be degraded too slowly to be of any practical interest. There are however some, but very few naturally occurring, micro-organisms that have the ability to break down non-polar polymers such as polyolefins. Due to the very low number of these specific micro- organisms occurring in the nature, the naturally existing amounts of these specific micro-organisms are insufficient to deal with practical amounts of materials made from polyolefins.

With systematic search, selection and isolation natural occurring micro-organism species and strains can be found and used for composting these traditionally non-compostable plastic materials. Specific strains such as Pseudomonas and Sphingomonas have been found to quite rapidly digest polyethylene plastic bags. In Shah, Aamer Ali (2007), "Role of Microorganisms in biodegradation of plastics", the selection process of strains according to the invention is described. Finding the most potent and useful strains is the first step towards large scale use of these micro-organisms.

Beside the selection and isolation of naturally occurring micro-organisms there is a future opportunity to use OMO (genetically modified organism) micro-organisms. The genes encoding for the plastic degrading enzymes can be incorporated in the genome of useful micro-organisms, ensuring an effective degradation of synthetic plastics.

After selection and isolation of strains with the ability to effectively decompose synthetic plastic materials, a selection for finding storage stable micro-organisms compatible with large scale production may be made.

The micro-organisms may be applied in an amount of at least 102 CFU per gram of polyolefin polymer in the sanitary or wiping article. The micro-organisms may furthermore be applied in an amount of at least 1 o CFU per gram of polyolefin polymer in the sanitary or wiping article, The micro-organisms should be chosen so that the biotic degradation rate increases at least 50 times, more preferably 100 times and most preferably 1000 times. The biotic degradation rate is measured by weighing the component before and after the degradation has been initiated. Herein, the initiation is seen as the time when the component is added to the compost. An example of this may be that a component made from polyethylene, which is normally not degraded at all after 50 years, is after a biotic degradation increase of 1000 times completely degraded after 18 to 20 days.

In order to achieve a more efficient degradation of the components, the sanitary or wiping article may after use be aerobically or anaerobically biodegraded. Preferably the article can be composted in a compost plant. In a compost the supply of moist, nutrients, oxygen and heat is ideal for many microbes and thereby an efficient degradation is achieved.

Compost temperatures may vary considerably due to the stage of degradation and the system used. Relatively high temperatures, such as around 70 C°, are often reached.

The micro-organisms according to the invention should at least be capable of cleaving carbon-carbon bonds in polyolefin polymers under conditions where the temperature is somewhere between 20 and 80 C°. This means that both mesophilic and thermophilic micro-organisms can be used.

In the case of using thermophilic micro-organisms usually temperatures above 37 C has to be reached before their growth, reproduction and degradation starts. This means that the sanitary articles must be subjected to heat in order to degrade, for example by composting it.

In order to further increase the degradation speed pro-oxidants may be added to the present polyolefin. Examples of suitable pro-oxidants are disclosed in US 3,839,311.

It is preferred that the micro-organisms are applied to the sanitary or wiping article in an inactive state so that the storage viability of the micro-organisms is prolonged. The micro-organisms may therefore be in a dried form when added to the article. This is especially relevant for bacteria since bacteria often are more moisture-sensitive than mold and yeast.

The micro-organisms of the present invention may, for example, be freeze-dried or convectively dried when added. Other possible ways to dry the micro-organisms include vacuum-drying, conductive drying or radiation drying.

To improve the viability of moisture sensitive micro-organisms in the sanitary or wiping article, the micro-organisms may be mixed with a drying agent. Examples of such drying carriers are poly-and oligosaccharides such as starch, maltodextrine and beta-glucan and inorganic agents such as silicon dioxide. Starch is especially preferred.

In order to become activated the dried micro-organisms need a certain amount of moisture. During use of sanitary and wiping articles the articles are of course often subject to wetting which may lead to activation of the micro-organisms. However, from the time the micro-organisms become activated, until the process of degradation start there is a delay.

The normal wearing time of the product is significantly shorter than time for degradation of the product. Hence, even if the criteria for activation of the micro-organisms are fulfilled for certain micro-organisms during use of a sanitary article, it is very unlikely that the sanitary article will start degradation before the article is disposed.

Examples of bacteria genera, where specific strains have been found and isolated, with the ability to cleave carbon-carbon bonds are Bacillus, Propagules, Acinetobacter, Arthrobacter, Rhodococcus, Leptothrix, Sphingomonas and Pseudomonas. An example of a deposited bacterium strain is Bacillus micousuji, (ATCC 55926 and ATCC 202050), according to US 6190903.

For spore-forming micro-organisms it can be an advantage to add the micro-organism in spore form.

Molds are often less moisture sensitive than bacteria and may survive longer time in harsher conditions.

Examples of mold genera according to the present invention are Aspergillus and Fusarium.

Also yeast may be somewhat less moisture sensitive than bacteria, however drying is known to increase the viability on yeast as well.

An example of a yeast according to the present invention is Saccharomyces.

In the sanitary or wiping article the micro-organisms may, for example, be in the form of a dry powder, as a dried film or as a dispersion between a lipid phase and a dry powder. An advantage with adding the micro-organisms to a lipid phase is that the lipid phase will function as a moisture protecting barrier, increasing the viability of moisture sensitive micro-organisms.

The micro-organism of the present invention may be added in many different ways to the sanitary or wiping article. Micro-organisms in the form of a dry powder may be sprinkled on top of the component forming part of the sanitary or wiping article, The micro-organisms may for example be sprinkled in the core of the sanitary article or on superabsorbent particles before these are added to the sanitary article. To add the micro-organisms by sprinkling it on top of a component or on the absorbent core of a sanitary article is an easy way to add the micro-organism, which does not require large process adjustments.

The component may also be coated with the micro-organisms. An advantage of using coating in order to apply the micro-organism is that the micro-organism will be in direct contact with the component which may increase the decomposition speed.

One way of coating the component of the present invention with micro-organisms is to supply the micro-organism in an aqueous suspension to the component followed by a drying step in order to create a film on the component. The aqueous suspension comprising the micro-organism may be added to the component before the component forms part of the sanitary or wiping article. The suspension may also be added to the final sanitary or wiping article. The aqueous suspension may be added by means of, for example, spraying or pouring the aqueous suspension onto the component or the final sanitary or wiping article or by soaking the component or the final sanitary or wiping article in the aqueous suspension. The coating step may be followed by a drying step, for example by IR-radiation. Alternatively the component may be pre-dried, which leads to evaporation of the aqueous solution due to the residual heat. Pro-dried components also result in an equalisation of the liquid over the component, leaving a component wherein the aqueous suspension has been dried up onto the component.

The micro-organisms could also be added to the polymer before extrusion. The micro-organisms may then be added just before the extrusion takes place. This also results in the micro-organisms being incorporated into the extruded fiber or film. Being incorporated into the polymer, the micro-organisms are protected from moisture and therefore the micro-organisms remains in an inactive state. This implies that the fiber or film needs to be disintegrated so that moisture and other possibly essential substances may reach the micro-organisms before the decomposition of the polymer may initiate. The decomposition will thus not start during use. This disintegration of the polymer may be done by grinding the sanitary or wiping articles in large-scale composting. Polymer fibers or films comprising incorporated micro-organisms may be pre-made by a supplier or at a different location, and an advantage with such materials is that a micro-organism powder or dispersion need not to be handled during the production of the sanitary article.

However, the process temperatures always have to be considered and be compatible with the survival properties of the selected organism and especially bacteria and yeast are often heat-sensitive. So, if bacteria or yeast are to be blended into the polymer mix before the extrusion step, only polymers that have flow properties which makes them possible to extrude at temperatures not harmful for the bacteria or yeast may be employed. Examples of polymers which may be extruded at a relatively low temperature are copolymers of polyethylene.

EXAMPLES

Example I

This example relates to the manufacturing of a sanitary article according to the present invention comprising a topsheet, a backsheet and a core interposed between said topsheet and backsheet. The sanitary article in the present example had a total weight of 89.15g. The topsheet had a polyolefin content of 3.51g, the standing gather of 2.97g and the backsheet of 7.02 g. The total amount of polyolefins in the sanitary article was thus 13.14g.

Sheets of pulp were impregnated with a suspension of Pseudomonas bacteria having a bacteria concentration of 2x1 08 CFUImI. I ml of the suspension was evenly sprayed over the surface of the sheet. The treated sheets were dried in dry air and subsequently defibrated in a Braun Multimixer to produce fluff pulp.

The fluff pulp was mixed with superabsorbent particles to produce an absorbent core. The absorbent core was put on a plastic backsheet (polyethylene film) and glued together with a topsheet material (NW based on polypropylene).

Example 2

This example relates to the manufacturing of a sanitary article according to the present invention comprising a topsheet, a backsheet and a core interposed between said topsheet and backsheet. The sanitary article in the present example had a total weight of 89.15g. The topsheet had a polyolefin content of 3.51g, the standing gather of 2.97g and the backsheet of 7.02 g. The total amount of polyolefins in the sanitary article was thus lal4g.

Bacteria were added to an absorbent core as a dry powder. Acidic superabsorbent particles were blended with spray-dried bacteria powder in an amount of 13.5 x 102 CFU and the blend of particles and powder was sprinkled into the cellulose core.

The absorbent core was put on a plastic backsheet (polyethylene film) and glued together with a topsheet material (NW based on polypropylene).

Example 3

This example relates to the manufacturing of a wiping article according to the present invention by laying down spunlaid filaments onto a forming web in a way that ensures that the filaments are not bonded to each other.

An unbonded web of spunlaid filaments was slightly compacted and transferred to a second forming fabric for addition of the wet-laid components. Using a headbox, a fibre dispersion containing pulp fibres and shortcut staple fibres was laid onto the unbonded web of spunlaid filaments and the excess water was drained and sucked off. The unbonded spunlaid filaments and wetlaid fibres were then mixed and bonded together by hydroentanglement. The hydroentanglement was done from the free side and the pulp and staple fibres were thus moved into and mixed intensively with the spunlaid filament web.

The total basis weight of the spunlaid filament-staple-pulp composite was around 73 g/m2.

The composition of the composite material was 65% spunlaid polypropylene filaments, 10% shortcut polypropylene staple fibres and 25% chemical pulp.

Bacteria were added after the hydroentanglement by sprinkling onto the web. An amount of io9 CFU/m2 was sprinkled onto the web. The web was dried in dry air. The hygiene tissue had the dimensions 38 x 42 cm and a weight of about 11 g. The amount of polyolefins was 75%, meaning that the polyolefins in the hygiene tissue weighed 8.24 g.

Example 4

This example relates to the manufacturing of a sanitary article according to the present invention comprising a topsheet, a laminated backsheet and a core interposed between said topsheet and backsheet. The sanitary article in the present example had a total weight of 89.15 g. The topsheet had a polyolefin content of 3.51 g, the standing gather of 2.97 g and the backsheet of 7.02 g. The total amount of polyolefins in the sanitary article was thus 13.14g.

The topsheet material was formed from non-woven polypropylene and the core material was formed from superabsorbent particles mixed with fluff pulp. The bacteria employed was Bacillus micousuji, which was contained in a suspension having a concentration of 2x105 CFU/ml. The bacteria were added to the backsheet material by spraying the suspension onto the inner side of the backsheet material (facing the core) in an amount of I ml. Subsequently the inner side of the backsheet was coated with polyvinyi alcohol (molecular weight 96 kDa and a degree of hydrolyze of 96%) to produce a laminated film composed of polyethylene and polyvinyl alcohol with the bacteria in between after drying in dry air.

The absorbent core was put on the laminated backsheet with the polyvinyl alcohol side facing the absorbent core and glued together with the top sheet material.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A sanitary or wiping article comprising a component selected from a fiber, a film, a particle and a foam, the component comprising a polyolefin polymer, said sanitary or wiping article further comprising at least one strain of micro-organisms, characterized in that said strain of micro-organisms is capable of cleaving carbon-carbon bonds in polyolefin polymers.
2. A sanitary or wiping article according to claim 1, characterized in that said strain of micro-organisms is contained in the article in an amount of at least 102 CFU per gram of polyolefin polymer in the article,
3. A sanitary or wiping article according to claims I or claim 2, characterized in that said strain of micro-organisms is bacteria.
4. A sanitary or wiping article according to claim 3, characterized in that said bacteria is selected from Bacillus, Propagules, Acinetobacter, Arthrobacter, Rhodococcus, Leptothrix, Sphingomonas and Pseudomonas.
5. A sanitary or wiping article according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that said strain of micro-organisms is yeast.
6. A sanitary or wiping article according to claim 5, characterized in that said yeast is Saccharornyces,
7. A sanitary or wiping article according to claims I or claim 2, characterized in that said strain of micro-organisms is mold.
8. A sanitary or wiping article according to claim 7, characterized in that said mold is selected from Aspergillus and Fusarium.
9. A sanitary or wiping article according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said polyolefin polymer is polyethylene or polypropylene.
10. A sanitary or wiping article according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said micro-organism is incorporated into the fiber, the film, the particle or the foam.
11. A sanitary or wiping article according to any of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that said micro-organism is applied on the surface of said fiber, film, particle or foam.
12. A sanitary or wiping article according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said sanitary article is a hygiene tissue.