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US 6,806,353 B2Granted
Biodegradable plant protein composites and related methods
AssigneeIowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
InventorsJinwen Zhang, Perminus Mungara, Jay-Lin Jane
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Abstract
A biodegradable plant protein composite is described. The composite includes a plant protein, which is preferably soy protein, and a polylactide. The composite also preferably includes a compatibilizer, a cross-linking agent, and a plasticizer. The composites of this invention offer the advantages of being water resistant and biodegradable.
Claims22
A non-toxic biodegradable plant protein composite, said composite comprising:
- 5 to 90 parts by weight soy protein;
- and 90 to 5 parts by weight of a polylactide, wherein said composite total does not exceed 100 parts.
A method for making a biodegradable plant protein composite comprising:
- combining 5 to 90 parts by weight plant protein with 90 to 5 parts by weight polylactide to form a mixture;
- and extruding said mixture at a temperature sufficient to make the mixture extrudable;
- wherein said composite total does not exceed 100 parts.
A non-toxic biodegradable plant protein composite comprising:
- soy protein;
- at least 25% by weight of a polylactide;
- up to 10 parts by weight of a compatibilizer, said compatibilizer being selected from the group consisting of a poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline) and a poly(2-phenyl-2-oxazoline);
- up to 0.6 parts by weight of a cross-linking agent, said cross-linking agent being selected from the group consisting of glutaric dialdehyde and epichlorohydrin;
- and up to 40% by weight of a plasticizer, said plasticizer being selected from the group consisting of glycerol and propylene glycol.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.