Abstract: Disclosed are non-wood pulps having a fiber length greater than about 1.70 mm and a Very Long Fiber (VLF) content of about 0.50% or less. The fibers are readily dispersible in water and useful in the formation of fibrous sheets, particularly wet-laid sheets and more particularly wet-laid tissue sheets having a relatively low basis weight. In addition of having a relatively long fiber length and a low VLF content, the pulps may also have a Dispersivity Index of about 2.00 or less, which is indicative of a relatively narrow fiber length distribution. The pulps may be prepared from plants of the family Asparagaceae by mechanical pulping and more preferably by a chemi-mechanical pulping process using an alkaline and hydrogen peroxide where the plant biomass is cut to size prior to pulping.

Abstract: Disclosed are non-wood pulps having a fiber length greater than about 1.70 mm and a brightness of about 80% or greater. The relatively high degree of brightness is achieved without a loss fiber length or pulp yield. The high degree of brightness and relatively long fiber length makes the pulps well suited for the manufacture of wet-laid fibrous products, particularly wet-laid tissue products. The pulps may be prepared from plants of the family Asparagaceae by mechanical pulping and more preferably by a chemi-mechanical pulping using a sodium hydroxide alkaline peroxide solution where the primary pulp is cleaned to reduce debris prior to bleaching. Preferably the cleaned primary pulp has less than about 5% debris prior to bleaching.

Abstract: A spirally wound filter cartridge and a method of making the same in which the cartridge includes an elongated, centrally disposed tube or mandrel, and a sheet of filtration material spirally wound around the tube such that the cartridge has a tapered configuration with a first end of the cartridge being greater in diameter than the second end. The present invention also relates to a filtration device having a filter cartridge housing adapted to receive the above mentioned tapered filter cartridge.