Methods for measuring renewable bio-source content in renewable bioplastic materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9778243-B2
Application number	US-201113235330-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 16, 2011
Priority date	Jun 14, 2011
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

The present invention relates to improved methods for measuring the renewable bio-source carbon content and renewable bio-content in renewable bioplastic resins produced in manufacturing plants. In particular, the present invention relates to measuring the renewable bio-source carbon content in renewable bioplastic resins produced during a production run by correlating measured δ 13 C values are measured by iTOC-CRDS and CM-CRDS with actual renewable bio-source carbon content measurements (AMS or LSC 14 C) via a linear regression.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for measuring the renewable bio-content in renewable bioplastic resin during a production run comprising:
a.) obtaining at least three resin samples during the production run, wherein each resin sample is obtained a different time point;
b.) measuring δ 13 C values of the at least three resin samples;
c.) determining the actual renewable bio-source carbon content of two of the at least three resin samples in step b.) with the lowest and the highest δ 13 C value;
d.) determining the correlation between the two actual renewable bio-source carbon content determined in step c.) and the corresponding δ 13 C values of the two samples;
e.) determining the renewable bio-source carbon content of the remaining resin sample(s) obtained in step a.) based on said correlation and the measured δ 13 C values of the remaining resin sample(s); and
f.) calculating the renewable bio-content of the renewable bioplastic resin sample(s) from the renewable bio-source carbon content determined in step e.), wherein the production run occurs in a production facility transitioning from i) at least one non-renewable petroleum-derived monomer to at least one renewable bio-derived monomer; or ii) at least one renewable bio-derived monomer to at least one non-renewable petroleum-derived monomer.

2. A method for measuring the renewable bio-source carbon content in renewable bioplastic resin during a production run comprising:
a.) obtaining at least three resin samples during the production run, wherein each resin sample is obtained at a different time point;
b.) measuring δ 13 C values of at least two resin samples;
c.) determining the actual renewable bio-source carbon content of the at least two resin samples in step b.) with the lowest and the highest δ13C value;
d.) determining the correlation between the at least two δ 13 C values measured in step b.) with the corresponding actual renewable bio-source carbon content determined in step c.); and
e.) determining the renewable bio-source carbon content of any remaining resin sample(s) obtained in step a.) based on said correlation and the measured δ 13 C values of the remaining resin sample(s); wherein the production run occurs in a production facility transitioning from i) at least one non-renewable petroleum-derived monomer to at least one renewable bio-derived monomer; or ii) at least one renewable bio-derived monomer to at least one non-renewable petroleum-derived monomer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the δ 13 C values are measured by Cavity Ring-Down Spectrometry (CRDS).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the actual renewable bio-source carbon content is determined by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) or Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC).

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the correlation in step d.) is determined by linear regression of a plot of δ 13 C versus actual renewable bio-based carbon content.

6. The method of claim 1 or 2 , wherein the renewable bioplastic resin samples obtained include samples that are taken at time points prior to the transition and after the transition.

7. The method of claim 1 or 2 , wherein the at least one renewable bio-derived monomer is renewable bio-MEG, renewable bio-derived TA or both.

8. The method of claim 1 or 2 , wherein the renewable bio-derived monomer is from a single source and wherein the non-renewable petroleum-derived monomer is from a single source.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the renewable bio-content of the renewable bioplastic resin is calculated by multiplying the renewable bio-source carbon content by a conversion factor, said conversion factor comprising a ratio of (1) the relative weight ratio of the renewable bio-derived monomer to a polymeric unit of the renewable bioplastic resin and (2) the relative contribution of carbons in the polymeric unit that originate from the renewable bio-derived monomer.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bio-derived monomer is from one geography.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bio-derived monomer is from one-source.

Assignees

• Kriegel Robert
• Yang Sheng Sheng
• Liu Hsiao Hua
• Mubarak Christopher
• Coca Cola Co

Inventors

• Kriegel Robert
• Yang Sheng Sheng
• Liu Hsiao Hua
• Mubarak Christopher

Classifications

• G01N33/442 Primary

  Resins; Plastics · CPC title

• G01N21/39

  using tunable lasers · CPC title

• H01J49/0086

  Accelerator mass spectrometers · CPC title