Effect of Toilet Tissue Paper on Residential Sewerage-line Clogging

Abstract

Toilet paper is widely used in residences. The low biodegradability of toilet paper's pulp fibers can cause residence sewer lines to clog, which may be due to some additives or the presence of nonwoven fiber products. In this study, the disintegration rate of toilet paper was compared against various physical factors of the toilet paper sheet. The samples were disintegrated in water at varying pH levels. In the manufacturing of toilet paper, there must be a balance between the desired softness and the necessary wet strength. Twelve commonly used brands of toilet paper were purchased locally. Physical factors of toilet paper samples such as degree of polymerization, thickness, grammage, and softness were determined. The samples were evaluated based on 9 variables using correlation and multivariate linear regression analyses. A strong positive relationship was found between the degree of disintegration of toilet tissue paper and its physical factors. These were the degree of polymerization, the grammage, thickness, and the softness. Additionally, the amount of polymers applied to toilet paper decreased the degree of softness and adversely affected the redispersion of fibers. Thus, this work supports the idea that toilet paper can contribute to clogging of residential sewerage lines.