Controlled environmental deterioration of plastics
AssigneeOwens-Illinois, Inc.
InventorsJohn W. Tobias, Lynn J. Taylor, Stuart J. Gaumer
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Abstract
There is disclosed the preparation of a degradable polymeric material consisting essentially of an organic polymeric base containing a degradation-promoting amount of a partially degraded organic polymer. The organic polymeric base and the degradation-promoting additive may be derived from the same or different polymers. The invention is especially useful in controlling the environmental deterioration of plastics. The rate of deterioration is a function of the environmental conditions such as light, oxygen, and temperature; the concentration of the additive; and the chemical structure(s) of both the base and the additive.
Claims16
A process for preparing a degradable plastic composition, which process comprises:
- a. preparing a partially oxidized organic polymer by heating an oxidizable organic polymer in the presence of gaseous oxygen;
- b. and then incorporating said partially oxidized organic polymer into a thermoplastic organic base polymer different from said oxidizable polymer.
A process for degrading a thermoplastic organic base polymer, which process comprises:
- a. preparing a partially oxidized organic polymer by heating an oxidizable organic polymer in the presence of gaseous oxygen;
- b. incorporating said partially oxidized organic polymer into said thermoplastic organic base polymer;
- and
- c. exposing the resultant polymeric composition to at least one natural environmental condition to degrade said composition.
A process for degrading a thermoplastic organic base polymer, which comprises:
- a. incorporating into said organic base polymer a degradation-promoting amount of at least one partially oxidized organic polymer;
- and
- b. exposing the resultant polymeric composition to at least one natural environmental condition to degrade said composition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.