Biodegradable fibers manufactured from thermoplastic starch and textile products and other articles manufactured from such fibers
AssigneeBiotec Biologische Naturverpackungen GmbH & Co. KG
InventorsJurgen Lorcks, Winfried Pommeranz, Harald Schmidt
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Abstract
Articles of manufacture which comprise biodegradable fibers and fabrics made therefrom. The fibers are made from starch-based biodegradable thermoplastic polymers, which preferably include a an additional biodegradable thermoplastic polymer blended with thermoplastic starch for improved chemical and physical properties. Threads or fibers for the manufacture of these articles are drawn in a process that improves their mechanical properties, particularly their strength. These threads or fibers can be used in the manufacture of articles that have open, semi-densely packed or densely packed structures.
Claims31
A fibrous article of manufacture comprising at least one fiber manufactured from a thermoplastic polymer blend including thermoplastic starch and at least one additional polymer other than starch, wherein the fiber manufactured from the thermoplastic polymer blend has been drawn at a temperature below the melting point of the thermoplastic polymer blend so as to increase the breaking strength of the drawn fiber compared to the breaking strength of the fiber prior to being drawn.
An article of manufacture comprising a textile product, said textile product including:
- at least one fiber fiber manufactured from a thermoplastic polymer blend that includes thermoplastic starch and at least one additional polymer other than starch, wherein the fiber manufactured from the thermoplastic polymer blend has been drawn at a temperature below the melting point of the thermoplastic polymer blend so as to increase the breaking strength of the drawn fiber compared to the breaking strength of the fiber prior to being drawn;
- and
- at least one naturally occurring fiber.
A fibrous article of manufacture comprising at least one fiber manufactured from a thermoplastic polymer blend that includes thermoplastic starch and at least one additional polymer other than starch and which includes less than a 1% water by weight during processing, wherein the fiber manufactured from the thermoplastic polymer blend has been drawn at a temperature below the melting point of the thermoplastic polymer blend so as to increase the breaking strength of the drawn fiber compared to the breaking strength of the fiber prior to being drawn.
A fibrous article of manufacture as defined in claim wherein the thermoplastic starch is formed by melting native starch in the presence of at least one plasticizer.
A method for manufacturing a fibrous article, comprising the steps of:
- extruding a thermoplastic polymer blend comprising thermoplastic starch and at least one additional polymer to form at least one thread;
- drawing the at least one thread at a temperature less than the melting point of the thermoplastic polymer blend so as to increase the breaking strength of the drawn thread compared to the breaking strength of the thread prior to being drawn;
- and
- processing one or more of the drawn threads into a desired fibrous article.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.