Biodegradable aliphatic-aromatic polyester

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10174157-B2
Application number	US-201013508153-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 5, 2010
Priority date	Nov 6, 2009
Publication date	Jan 8, 2019
Grant date	Jan 8, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed are biodegradable aliphatic-aromatic polyesters obtained from aliphatic dicarboxylic acids, polyfunctional aromatic acids and diols, wherein the polyfunctional aromatic acids are constituted by mixtures of acids of renewable and synthetic origin its esters. In particular, the polyfunctional aromatic acids comprise at least one phthatic diacid and at least one heterocyclic aromatic diacid of renewable origin, which can be 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid and its esters. Also, provided are mixtures of the polyesters with other biodegradable polymers both of natural and synthetic origin.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A biodegradable aliphatic-aromatic polyester comprising units derived from at least one diol, at least one aliphatic dicarboxylic acid and two polyfunctional aromatic acids, characterized in that the units derived from said polyfunctional aromatic acids consist of:
i. from 5-95% by moles, with respect to the total molar content of said polyfunctional aromatic acids, of units from at least one phthalic aromatic diacid selected from terephthalic acid, its esters and/or mixtures thereof;
ii. from 95-5% by moles, with respect to the total molar content of said polyfunctional aromatic acids, of units from at least one heterocyclic aromatic diacid of renewable origin selected from 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, its esters and/or mixtures thereof,
wherein the content of said units derived from said polyfunctional aromatic acids is between 45% and 70% by moles, with respect to the total molar content of said dicarboxylic acids
wherein said aliphatic dicarboxylic acid is selected from the group consisting of succinic acid, adipic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid, undecandioic acid, dodecandioic acid, brassylic acid and mixtures thereof;
wherein the sum of units of said polyfunctional aromatic acid and of said aliphatic dicarboxylic acid amount to 100 mole % of the acid units; and wherein said polyester has a relative biodegradability according to the EN 13432 standard with respect to cellulose higher than 90% after 150 days.

2. The polyester according to claim 1 , wherein said polyester is blended with one or more polymers.

3. A blend comprising the polyester according to claim 2 , wherein said one or more polymers are selected from biodegradable polyesters of the diacid-diol, hydroxyacid or polyester-ether type.

4. The blend according to claim 3 , wherein said polyesters of the diacid-diol type are aliphatic or aliphatic-aromatic.

5. The blend according to claim 4 , wherein the content of said biodegradable polyesters from diacid-diol varies within the range between 1 and 99% by weight.

6. The blend according to claim 3 , wherein said polyesters of the hydroxyacid type are selected from poly-L-lactic acid, poly-D-lactic acid and poly-D-L-lactic acid stereocomplex, poly-ε-caprolactone, polyhydroxybutyrate, polyhydoxybutyrate valerate, polyhydroxybutyrate propanoate, polyhydroxybutyrate hexanoate, polyhydroxybutyrate decanoate, polyhydroxybutyrate dodecanoate, polyhydroxybutyrate hexadecanoate, polyhydroxybutyrate octadecanoate and poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-4-hydroxybutyrate.

7. The blend according to claim 6 , wherein the content of said biodegradable polyesters from hydroxy acid varies within the range between 1 and 99% by weight.

8. The blend comprising the polyester according to claim 2 , wherein said one or more polymers are polymers of natural origin.

9. The blend according to claim 8 , wherein said polymers of natural origin are selected from starch, cellulose, chitin, chitosan, alginates, proteins such as gluten, zein, casein, collagen, gelatin, natural rubbers, rosin acid and its derivatives, lignins and their derivatives.

10. The blend according to claim 9 , wherein said starch is in destructurized or gelatinized form or in filler form.

11. The blend according to claim 9 , wherein said starch represents an homogeneously dispersed phase of particles with mean dimensions of less than 1 μm.

12. The blend comprising the polyester according to claim 2 , wherein said one or more polymers are selected from polyolefins, non-biodegradable polyesters, polyester- and polyether-urethanes, polyurethanes, polyamides, polyamino acids, polyethers, polyureas, polycarbonates and mixtures thereof.

13. The blend according to claim 12 , wherein the content of said polyolefins, nonbiodegradable polyesters, polyester- and polyether-urethanes, polyurethanes, polyamides, polyamino acids, polyethers, polyureas, polycarbonates and mixtures thereof varies within the range from 0.5 to 99% by weight.

14. The blend comprising the composition according to claim 2 , wherein said one or more polymers are selected from rigid polymers with a modulus greater than 1,500 MPa.

15. The blend according to claim 14 , wherein the content of said rigid polymers varies within the range from 5 to 30% by weight.

16. The blend according to claim 15 , wherein said rigid polymers form an homogeneously dispersed phase of particles with mean dimensions of less than 2 μm.

17. The blend according to claim 14 , wherein said rigid polymers are polymers or copolymers of polylactic acid containing at least 75% of L-lactic or D-lactic acid or combinations thereof.

18. The blend comprising the composition according to claim 2 , obtained by a reactive extrusion process with compounds carrying groups which can react with OH and/or COOH groups, or with unsaturated bonds.

19. Films, injection molding articles, extrusion coatings, fibers, foams, thermoformed articles, rubbers, glues, coatings, lacquers, thermosetting resins comprising the polyester according to claim 1 or blend thereof with one or more polymers selected from biodegradable polyesters of the diacid-diol, hydroxyacid or polyester-ether type.

20. A method which comprises shaping a polyester according to claim 1 or blend thereof with one or more polymers selected from biodegradable polyesters of the diacid-diol, hydroxyacid or polyester-ether type for the production of:
mono- and bi-oriented films, and films multilayered with other polymeric materials;
films for use in the agricultural sector;
cling films for use with foodstuffs, for bales in agriculture, and for wrapping waste;
bags and bin liners for the organic waste collection;
seed dressings;
glues;
thermoformed foodstuff packaging, both mono- and multi-layered;
coatings obtained using a extrusion coating method;
multilayer laminates with layers of paper, plastic, aluminum, or metalized films;
expanded or expandable beads for the production of pieces obtained by sintering;
expanded and semi-expanded products, including foam blocks formed using pre-expanded particles;
foam sheets, thermoformed foam sheets, and containers obtained from them for use in foodstuff packaging;
fruit and vegetable containers;
composites with gelatinized, destructurized and/or complexed starch, natural starch, flours or vegetable or inorganic natural fillers;
fibers, microfibers, composite micro fibers wherein the core is constituted by rigid polymers and the shell comprises said polyester or said blend thereof, blended composite fibers, fibers with different sections, from circular to multilobed, staple fibers, woven and nonwoven fabrics or spun bonded or thermobonded for use in sanitary and hygiene products, and in the agricultural and clothing sectors.

Assignees

• Bastioli Catia
• Borsotti Giampietro
• Capuzzi Luigi
• Masala Gian Tomaso
• Milizia Tiziana
• Vallero Roberto
• Novamont Spa

Inventors

• Bastioli Catia
• Borsotti Giampietro
• Capuzzi Luigi
• Masala Gian Tomaso
• Milizia Tiziana
• Vallero Roberto

Classifications

• C08G63/183 Primary

  Terephthalic acids · CPC title

• C08L67/02

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

• C08L101/16

  the macromolecular compounds being biodegradable · CPC title

• C08L101/00

  Compositions of unspecified macromolecular compounds · CPC title

• C08L67/025

  containing polyether sequences · CPC title