Plasticized terephthalate-based polyester blends containing fatty acids or esters thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11279805-B2
Application number	US-201916519396-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2019
Priority date	Jul 26, 2018
Publication date	Mar 22, 2022
Grant date	Mar 22, 2022

Abstract

A plasticized terephthalate-based polyester blend comprising a terephthalate-based polyester (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate, i.e., PET) homogeneously blended with a fatty acid or ester thereof, wherein said fatty acid or ester thereof is present in said polyester blend in an amount of 1-50 wt %. Also described herein is a method for producing a plasticized terephthalate-based polyester blend, the method comprising melt mixing a terephthalate-based polyester with a fatty acid or ester thereof at a temperature in a range of 230-250° C. to produce said polyester blend, wherein said fatty acid or ester thereof is present in said polyester blend in an amount of 1-50 wt % and is homogeneously blended with said terephthalate-based polyester.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A plasticized terephthalate-based polyester blend comprising a terephthalate-based polyester homogeneously blended with a fatty acid or ester thereof, wherein said fatty acid or ester thereof is present in said polyester blend in an amount of 10-50 wt %; and
wherein the terephthalate-based polyester has the formula:

wherein R 1 is a hydrocarbon linker containing 1-12 carbon atoms, and n is at least 50.

2. The polyester blend of claim 1 , wherein said fatty acid contains at least eight carbon atoms.

3. The polyester blend of claim 1 , wherein said fatty acid contains at least ten carbon atoms.

4. The polyester blend of claim 1 , wherein said fatty acid contains at least twelve carbon atoms.

5. The polyester blend of claim 1 , wherein said fatty acid is tall oil fatty acid.

6. The polyester blend of claim 1 , wherein said terephthalate-based polyester is polyethylene terephthalate.

7. The polyester blend of claim 1 , wherein said fatty acid or ester thereof is present in said polyester blend in an amount of 10-30 wt %.

8. The polyester blend of claim 1 , further comprising lignin in an amount of 1-50 wt % by weight of said polyester blend, wherein said lignin is homogeneously blended in said polyester blend.

9. The polyester blend of claim 8 , wherein said lignin has a molecular weight of 500-5000 g/mole.

10. The polyester blend of claim 8 , wherein said lignin is present in said polyester blend in an amount of 5-50 wt %.

11. The polyester blend of claim 8 , wherein said lignin is present in said polyester blend in an amount of 1-40 wt %.

12. The polyester blend of claim 8 , wherein said lignin is present in said polyester blend in an amount of 5-40 wt %.

13. A method for producing a plasticized terephthalate-based polyester blend, the method comprising melt mixing a terephthalate-based polyester with a fatty acid or ester thereof at a temperature in a range of 230-250° C. to produce said polyester blend, wherein said fatty acid or ester thereof is present in said polyester blend in an amount of 10-50 wt % and is homogeneously blended with said terephthalate-based polyester; and wherein the terephthalate-based polyester has the formula:

wherein R 1 is a hydrocarbon linker containing 1-12 carbon atoms, and n is at least 50.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein said fatty acid contains at least eight carbon atoms.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein said fatty acid contains at least ten carbon atoms.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein said fatty acid contains at least twelve carbon atoms.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein said fatty acid is tall oil fatty acid.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein said terephthalate-based polyester is polyethylene terephthalate.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein said fatty acid or ester thereof is present in said polyester blend in an amount of 10-30 wt %.

20. The method of claim 13 , further comprising melt mixing lignin with said terephthalate-based polyester and fatty acid or ester thereof, wherein said lignin is included in an amount of 1-50 wt % by weight of said polyester blend, and wherein said lignin is homogeneously blended in said polyester blend.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein said lignin has a molecular weight of 500-5000 g/mole.

22. The method of claim 20 , wherein said lignin is present in said polyester blend in an amount of 5-50 wt %.

23. The method of claim 20 , wherein said lignin is present in said polyester blend in an amount of 1-40 wt %.

24. The method of claim 20 , wherein said lignin is present in said polyester blend in an amount of 5-40 wt %.

25. The method of claim 20 , wherein one or more solid ingredients in said terephthalate-based polyester are thermally treated under at least partial vacuum at a temperature within a range of 150-250° C. before being melt-mixed to produce the polyester blend.

26. The method of claim 20 , wherein said lignin is heat treated lignin.

27. The polyester blend of claim 1 , wherein n is 50-1000.

Assignees

• Ut Battelle Llc
• Univ Tennessee Res Found

Inventors

• Naskar Amit K
• Akato Kokouvi
• Nguyen Ngoc A
• Harper David P

Classifications

• C08L97/005

  Lignin · CPC title

• C08K5/09

  Carboxylic acids; Metal salts thereof; Anhydrides thereof · CPC title

• C08K5/101

  of monocarboxylic acids · CPC title

• C08J3/201

  Pre-melted polymers · CPC title

• C08J2367/02

  Polyesters derived from dicarboxylic acids and dihydroxy compounds; (C08J2367/06 takes precedence) · CPC title