Environmentally biodegradable microcapsules

A modified biopolymer having the formula A-XY wherein:

• A is a starting material of a polysaccharide selected from the group consisting of tapioca starch, potato starch, corn starch, rice starch, wheat starch, carboxymethyl starch, carboxymethyl chitosan, chitosan oligosaccharide, and octenyl succinic anhydride modified starch;
• X is a first moiety bearing a functionality co-reactive with the starting material A, wherein the first moiety X is selected from the group consisting of t-butyl acetoacetate, t-butyl cyanoacetate, and a Michael adduct of alkyl acetoacetate or alkyl cyanoacetate with ethylenically unsaturated monomer bearing an anhydride functionality, an epoxy functionality, an isocyanate functionality or an oxazoline functionality;
• Y is a second moiety covalently bound to the first moiety X, capable of undergoing free radical polymerization and having an acrylate, methacrylate, styrenic, vinyl ester or vinyl ether bearing at least three ethylenically unsaturated groups;
• the starting material A and the first moiety X are linked covalently through linkages selected from the group consisting of an ester, an amide, a urethane, a urea, a sulfonate ester, a phosphate ester and an ether;
• and
• a degree of substitution of the starting material A with the first moiety X is less than 0.5 but more than 0.1, and
• wherein the modified biopolymer has an Environmental Biodegradability greater than 30% within 28 days according to OECD 301.