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US 12,226,033 B2Granted
Super biodegradable straws and method for making the same
OwnerAlan Richard Greenberginventor
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OwnerAlan Richard Greenberginventor
Estimating the term…
The present invention relates to drinking straws that are made from biodegradable material or bioplastics. The process to manufacture the present invention can use waste lipid wax byproducts. The present invention can incorporate chemical modification of corn or hemp fiber waste, and is comprised of wax byproduct, xanthan gum, carnauba wax and stearic acid. Stearin, hardener and plasticizers are mixed with corn or soy wax. A binder ingredient can be added to the waxes and fiber mixture, resulting in a smooth and hard, durable and biodegradable material with a high melting point. This material is then processed using an extrusion method, whereby the mixed ingredients are forced through an opening in a perforated plate or die with a design specific to form a straw, and then cut into a specific size by blades. The extruder consists of a large, rotating screw tightly fitting within a stationary barrel, at the end of which is the die. Extrusion enables mass production of food via a continuous, efficient system that ensures uniformity of the final product.
A disposable drinking straw comprised of a biodegradable material formed by an elongated tubular body suitable for allowing a user to use said straw for consuming a beverage, and wherein said elongated tubular body is formed from corn stalk-based ingredients, and comprised in part of a wax byproduct formed during an oil distillation process whereby oil waxes and lipids undergo a process of winterization and the resulting wax byproduct is combined with a stearin, a hardener, and a plasticizer to create the biodegradable material.
A method for making a disposable drinking straw comprising the steps of forming a biodegradable material into an elongated tubular body suitable for allowing a user to use said straw for consuming a beverage, and wherein said elongated tubular body is formed from corn stalk-based ingredients, and comprised in part of a wax byproduct formed during an oil distillation process whereby oil waxes and lipids undergo a process of winterization and the resulting wax byproduct is combined with a stearin, a hardener, and a plasticizer to create the biodegradable material.
A disposable drinking straw comprised of a biodegradable material formed by an elongated tubular body suitable for allowing a user to use said straw for consuming a beverage, and wherein said elongated tubular body is formed from corn stalk-based ingredients and wherein said stalk-based ingredients includes the husk of a corn plant and wherein said husk is ground up to form a powder and then dried, and wherein said dried husk powder is extruded into a drinking straw by combination with a heated emulsifier consisting of carnauba wax formed during an oil distillation process.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.