Novamont S.p.a.

Montedison S.p.a.

Montefibre S.p.a.

Spherilene S.r.l.

Luciano Del Giudice

Vittorio Bellotti

Catia Bastioli

Roberto Lombi

Gabriele Perego

Angelos Rallis

Gian Domenico Cella

Sandro Montino

Roberto Nocci

Umberto Giannini

Robert E Cohen

Gianfranco Del Tredici

Giuseppe Gianotti

Catia Bastiolo

Giancarlo Attalla

Floriana Bertinotti

The present invention provides polymeric compositions containing thermoplastic starch and a thermoplastic polymer incompatible with starch, in which the starch constitutes the dispersed phase and the thermoplastic polymer constitutes the continuous phase, selected: A) from compositions comprising an agent with an interfacial effect selected from esters of polyols with mono- or polycarboxylic acids with dissociation constants within certain limits, the esters having specific values of the hydrophilic/lipophilic balance index HLB or being amongst the non-ionic surfactants which are soluble in water but cannot significantly be extracted by water from the compositions which contain them; B) from compositions wherein the thermoplastic polymer is an aliphatic or aliphatic-aromatic copolyester wherein the ratio (R) between the average viscometric molecular weight and the melt index is greater than 25,000 and C) from compositions wherein the thermoplastic polymer is selected from aliphatic-aromatic copolyesters, polyester-amides, polyester-esters, polyester-ether-amides, polyester-urethanes and polyester-ureas and wherein the compositions are obtained by extrusion of the component maintaining a water content during the mixing stage from 1 to 5% by weight.

Biodegradable polymeric compositions comprising starch and a thermoplastic polymer

Expanded articles of biodegradable plastic material having a closed pore structure and a density of from 0.01 to less than 0.1 g/cm.sup.3 are produced by extrusion of a composition including starch and a synthetic polymer selected from ethylene-vinyl alcohol, ethylene-acrylic acid, and mixture thereof.

Expanded articles of biodegradable plastic materials

A polymer composition usable for the production of articles of biodegradable plastics material includes an ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer and destructured starch. Preferably, the composition is obtainable by mixing the ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer, in a heated extruder, with a starch component constituted by a destructured starch composition produced beforehand by mixing starch with a high-boiling plasticizer, such as glycerine and a destructuring agent, preferably constituted by urea, in an extruder. Alternatively, the composition can be obtained by mixing the ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer with starch and a plasticizer in an extruder, with water added as appropriate and possibly with a suitable destructuring agent. The composition is particularly useful for the production of films with good resistance to perforation and tearing and molded articles with improved mechanical strength. The products made from this composition are also good oxygen and carbon dioxide barriers.

Polymer compositions for the production of articles of biodegradable

Expanded articles of biodegradable plastics are produced by the extrusion of a composition including starch, a polymer compatible with starch, in particular, an ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer and/or ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer, and an expanding agent. Preferably use is made of sodium bicarbonate as expanding agent in the presence of a polymeric acid.

Expanded articles of biodegradable plastics materials and a method for

Biodegradable articles based on starch and process for producing them

Quick-crystallizing polyester compositions comprising a mixture consisting or consisting essentially of a polyester thermoplastic resin and of 0.1-10% by weight of a nucleant selected from polymeric-base salts, or mixtures of salts, of alkali metals or alkaline-earth metals of the formula:

Quick-crystallizing polyester composition

Fast-crystallizing polyester compositions comprising a mixture consisting or consisting essentially of a polyester thermoplastic resin and of a nucleating agent selected from organic acid salts having the formula: ##STR1## wherein: R is an aromatic, cycloaliphatic or heterocyclic radical, optionally substituted in the ring;

Fast-crystallizing polyester compositions

Block copolymers of ethylene and/or alpha-olefins, in particular propylene, with vinyl aromatic monomers, comprising at least two polymeric blocks, one of which being a polyolefinic block and the other having a stereoregular structure and being formed by vinyl aromatic monomer units.

Block copolymers of olefines with vinyl aromatic monomers

Thermoplastic compositions based on polyphenylenether resins, endowed with improved mechanical, thermal and solvent-resistance characteristics, comprising, for 100 parts by weight of polyphenylenether resin:

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Milan, Italy

Luciano Del Giudice