Abstract: Cellulosic fibers, characterized by a lack of swellability and incapable of natural fiber-to-fiber bonding, are produced by a process which comprises treating an aqueous slurry of the fibers with a formaldehyde-free polymeric compound, heating the treated fibers to cause the polymeric compound to react with the fibers, and refiberizing to separate individual, treated fibers. The fibers are useful in the preparation of improved cellulosic webs characterized primarily by their increased bulk and improved softness.

Abstract: This invention relates to a unique method of fabricating a dry-formed, adhesively bonded nonwoven sheet and to the sheet formed thereby. The method of this invention includes the steps of forming a low integrity, dry-formed fibrous web having a basis weight in the range of from about 30 grams per square meter to about 170 grams per square meter; embossing the web to provide spaced-apart densified regions and high loft regions with the densified regions covering from about 15% to about 40% of the planar area of the web and having a density greater than about 0.150 grams per cubic centimeter, and with the high loft regions having a density of less than about 0.