Sulfonated copolyetherester compositions from hydroxyalkanoic acids and shaped articles produced therefrom

A process for producing a package, comprising

• i) providing a substrate;
• ii) forming the substrate into a desired package form;
• iii) providing an aromatic copolyetherester comprising an acid component, a glycol component, and optionally an effective amount of a color reducing agent, wherein the acid component consists essentially of
• a. 98.9 to 1.0 mole percent of an aromatic dicarboxylic acid component based on 100 mole percent total acid component,
• b. 1.0 to 99.0 mole percent of a hydroxyalkanoic acid component selected from lactic acid, glycolic acid and mixtures thereof, based on 100 mole percent total acid component
• c. 0.1 to 10 mole percent of a sulfonate component based on 100 mole percent total acid component, and
• d. 0 to about 5.0 mole percent of a polyfunctional branching agent selected from polyfunctional acid, glycol and mixtures thereof based on 100 mole percent total acid component;
• and
• wherein the glycol component comprises:
• a. about 98.9 to about 1.0 mole percent of a single first glycol component selected from ethylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol and 1,4-butanediol, based on 100 mole percent total glycol component,
• b. 0.1 to 30.0 mole percent of a poly(alkylene ether) glycol component having a molecular weight in the range of from about 500 to about 4000, based on 100 mole percent total glycol component, and
• c. 0 to about 5.0 mole percent of at least one of an other glycol component based on 100 mole percent total glycol component;
• and
• iv) laminating or coating the substrate with the aromatic copolyetherester to form the package.

A process for producing an aromatic copolyetherester, comprising providing a reaction mixture comprising an aromatic dicarboxylic acid component;

• a hydroxyalkanoic acid component;
• a single first glycol component a poly(alkylene ether) glycol component;
• optionally an other glycol component;
• a sulfonate component;
• optionally an effective amount of a color reducing agent, and optionally a polyfunctional branching agent;
• and allowing the dicarboxylic acid component, the hydroxyalkanoic acid component, the single first glycol component, the poly(alkylene ether) glycol component, the optional other glycol component, the sulfonate component, and the polyfunctional branching agent to polymerize to form an aromatic copolyetherester comprising an acid component and a glycol component, wherein the acid component consists essentially of:
• a. 98.9 to 1.0 mole percent of an aromatic dicarboxylic add component based on 100 mole percent total acid component, and
• b. 1.0 to 99.0 mole percent of a hydroxyalkanoic add component selected from lactic acid, glycolic acid and mixtures thereof, based on 100 mole percent total acid component,
• c. 0.1 to 10 mole percent of a sulfonate component based on 100 mole percent total acid component, and
• d. 0 to about 5.0 mole percent of a polyfunctional branching agent selected from polyfunctional acid, glycol and mixtures thereof based on 100 mole percent total acid component;
• and
• and wherein the glycol component comprises:
• a. about 99.0 to about 1.0 mole percent of a single first glycol component selected from ethylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol and 1,4-butanediol,
• b. 0.1 to 30.0 mole percent of a poly(alkylene ether) glycol component having a molecular weight in the range of from about 500 to about 4000, and
• c. 0 to about 5.0 mole percent of at least one of an other glycol component based on 100 mole percent total glycol component.