General Electric Company

Ecosynthetix Inc.

Other

Robert H Wildi

Jack A Hill

John Robert Campbell

Robert Hossan

Do I Lee

Kenneth G Powell

Steven Bloembergen

Keith E Cox

Greg R Bradtke

Edward Van Egdom

William David Richards

William Eugene Pecak

Qamar S Bhatia

Edward J Fewkes, Jr

Jack Lew Little

Catherine Marie Pottier-Metz

Linda McAdam Gemmell

Vinod Kumar Berry

Ian J McLennan

A process for producing a biopolymer nanoparticles product is disclosed. In this process, biopolymer feedstock and a plasticizer are fed to a feed zone of an extruder having a screw configuration in which the feedstock is process using shear forces in the extruder, and a crosslinking agent is added to the extruder downstream of the feed zone. The biopolymer feedstock and plasticizer are preferably added separately to the feed zone. The screw configuration may include two or more steam seal sections. Shear forces in a first section of the extruder may be greater than shear forces in an adjacent second section of the extruder downstream of the first section. In a post reaction section located after a point in which the crosslinking reaction has been completed, water may be added to improve die performance.

Process for producing biopolymer nanoparticles

In a process for producing a biopolymer nanoparticles, biopolymer feedstock and a plasticizer are fed to a feed zone of an extruder and the biopolymer feedstock is processed using shear forces. A crosslinking agent is added to the extruder downstream of the feed zone. The process has a production rate of at least 1.0 metric tons per hour. The feedstock and the plasticizer are preferably added separately to the feed zone. The extruder may have single flight elements in the feed zone. The temperatures in the intermediate section of the extruder are preferably kept above 100 C. The screw configuration may include two or more steam seal sections. Shear forces in a first section of the extruder may be greater than shear forces in an adjacent downstream section of the first section. In a post reaction section, water may be added to improve die performance.

There is provided a process for making a gel-containing additive concentrate by mixing a reactive polymer such as SAN and a substantially immiscible carrier polymer such as polycarbonate or polystyrene and reactively extruding the reactive polymer and carrier polymer in the presence of a multi-functional crosslinking agent and catalyst

Dispersive reactive extrusion of polymer gels

Reduced gloss polycarbonate graft polymer blends are provided by a process which involves compounding styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer in the presence of an electrophilic reagent and preferably an acid to form gels, and then compounding the resultant gels with polycarbonate, a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer and ABS graft polymer to form reduced gloss PC/ABS/SAN composition. The process limits side reactions during gel formation by preparing the gels first and then compounding the gels with the other resin materials. The blends are useful as molding resins and the gelled acrylonitrile polymer is useful as a gloss reducing additive.

Reduced gloss thermoplastic compositions and processes for making thereof

A process for making reduced gloss thermoplastic resin compositions is provided. The process involves compounding a nitrile polymer with an electrophilic reagent to form a polymeric gel compound, blending the polymeric gel compound with a first thermoplastic resin and a weight ratio of between 5:1 and 0.5:1 to make a concentrate comprising gels dispersed in the first thermoplastic resin, and admixing the concentrate with a second thermoplastic resin produced the desired composition, wherein the concentrate is used at a level of from 2 to 60 percent by weight based on the total weight of the composition. The process provides improved product consistency, and consistently yields a product exhibiting reduced gloss and high levels of impact strength with a uniformly dispersed concentration of polymeric gels therein. The compositions are useful in making molded articles exhibiting consistent reduced gloss and high impact strengths.

Process for the manufacture of low gloss resins

Gels useful as low gloss additives for blends of addition polymers, such as ABS resins, with polycarbonates are prepared by a melt blending operation in which a polyepoxide such as 3,4-epoxycyclohexyl 3,4-epoxycyclohexanecarboxylate is blended with at least one addition polymer such as a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, and concurrently with at least one aromatic polycarbonate in at least two increments. The first increment comprises about 20-60% of total polycarbonate and the second increment is subsequently introduced.

Production of low gloss additives for thermoplastic resins

A process is provided for producing improved color acrylonitrile polymer gels involving compounding a composition of an acrylonitrile polymer with an electrophilic reagent to produce acrylonitrile polymer gels, and admixing water with the gels to reduce the yellowness thereof. Improved color, reduced gloss polycarbonate/graft polymer blends are provided by compounding the resultant gels with polycarbonate, a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer and ABS graft polymer to form reduced gloss PC/ABS/SAN composition. The process provides acrylonitrile gels and reduced gloss compositions exhibiting improved levels of color. The blend compositions are useful as molding resins and the gelled acrylonitrile polymer is useful as a gloss reducing additive.

Process improvement for improved color reduced gloss thermoplastic

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Parkersburg, WV, United States of America

Robert H Wildi