Process to incorporate wet natural fiber and starch into thermoplastics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10087291-B2
Application number	US-201515301958-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2015
Priority date	Apr 10, 2014
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

The present relates to a process for incorporating of wet natural fiber and starch into thermoplastics and the composite produced. The process for producing the composite comprises steps of: providing a wet natural fiber; providing a starch; providing a plasticizer; providing a thermoplastic; mixing the wet natural fiber, the starch and the plasticizer with water to produce a paste, and compounding the paste with the thermoplastic to produce the composite. The composite in a preferred embodiment comprises 50 weight % natural fiber/starch and a plasticizer; 50 weight % thermoplastic; a tensile modulus greater than 1450 MPa and a tensile strength greater than 41 MPa.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for producing a natural fiber/starch thermoplastic composite comprising steps of:
providing a wet natural fiber comprising a total amount of natural fiber;
providing a starch comprising a total amount of starch;
providing a plasticizer comprising a total amount of plasticizer;
providing a thermoplastic comprising a total amount of thermoplastic;
mixing the wet natural fiber, the starch and the plasticizer with water to produce a paste, wherein the water comprises a total amount of water, and
compounding the paste with the thermoplastic to produce the composite.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the mixing of the wet natural fiber, the starch and the plasticizer with the water to produce the paste is based on a weight ratio, WRpaste=(the total amount of natural fiber on a dry weight basis+the total amount of starch on a dry weight basis+a total amount of plasticizer)/the total amount of water=0.1-5.

3. The process of claim 1 , further comprising steps of pelletizing or drying the paste to a film, cutting the film into strips before compounding with the thermoplastic.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic is selected from polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyester or combinations thereof, and wherein the thermoplastic further comprises at least one of a polypropylene (PP), a polyethylene (PE), or a polyester each grafted with at least one of a fumaric acid, a maleic acid, a maleic anhydride or combinations thereof.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic is polypropylene and a polypropylene grafted maleic anhydride.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the plasticizer is selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerol and combinations thereof.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the plasticizer is glycerol.

8. The process of claim 7 , wherein glycerol is 31 weight % in the composite.

9. A process for producing a natural fiber/starch thermoplastic composite comprising steps of:
providing a wet natural fiber comprising a total amount of natural fiber;
providing a starch comprising a total amount of starch;
providing a plasticizer comprising a total amount of plasticizer;
providing a thermoplastic comprising a total amount of thermoplastic;
mixing the wet natural fiber, the starch and the plasticizer with water to produce a paste, wherein the water comprises a total amount of water,
drying the paste to a film,
cutting the film into strips before compounding with the thermoplastic and
compounding the paste with the thermoplastic to produce the composite.

10. The process of claim 9 , wherein the mixing the wet natural fiber, the starch and the plasticizer with the water to produce the paste is based on a weight ratio, WRpaste=(the total amount of natural fiber on a dry weight basis+the total amount of starch on a dry weight basis+a total amount of plasticizer)/the total amount of water=0.1-5.

11. The process of claim 9 , wherein the thermoplastic is selected from polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyester or combinations thereof, and wherein the thermoplastic further comprises at least one of a polypropylene (PP), a polyethylene (PE), or a polyester grafted with a fumaric acid, a maleic acid, a maleic anhydride or combinations thereof.

12. The process of claim 9 , wherein the thermoplastic is polypropylene and a polypropylene grafted maleic anhydride.

13. The process of claim 9 , wherein the plasticizer is glycerol.

14. A natural fiber/starch thermoplastic composite comprising
50 weight % natural fiber, starch and a plasticizer; and
50 weight % thermoplastic;
wherein the natural fiber/starch thermoplastic composite has a tensile modulus greater than 1450 MPa, and
a tensile strength greater than 41 MPa, as measured with an Instron Universal testing machine according to ASTM D638 standard, at room temperature and humidity of 25° C. and 50% and with a crosshead speed of 5 cm/min.

15. The composite of claim 14 , wherein the thermoplastic is polypropylene and a polypropylene grafted maleic anhydride.

16. The composite of claim 14 , wherein the plasticizer is selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerol and combinations thereof.

17. The composite of claim 14 , wherein the plasticizer is glycerol.

18. The composite of claim 17 , wherein glycerol is 31 weight % in the composite.

Assignees

• Fpinnovations

Inventors

• Yuan Zhirun
• Paleologou Michael
• Meng Qingkai
• Mao Changbin
• Fang Yunli

Classifications

• C08L97/02

  Lignocellulosic material, e.g. wood, straw or bagasse {(manufacture of articles made from lignocellulosic material by dry processes B27N)} · CPC title

• C08J3/203

  Solid polymers with solid and/or liquid additives · CPC title

• C08J3/18 Primary

  Plasticising macromolecular compounds (plasticisers C08K) · CPC title

• C08L67/02

  Polyesters derived from dicarboxylic acids and dihydroxy compounds (C08L67/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29K2023/12

  PP, i.e. polypropylene · CPC title