Solvay Acetow Gmbh

Rhodia Acetow Gmbh

Rhone-poulenc Rhodia Aktiengesellschaft

Wolfgang Koppe

Dirk Hölter

Ties Karstens

Gunter Maurer

Paul Rustemeyer

Joachim Schatzle

The invention relates to a biodegradable plastic having increased biodegradation speed. Said plastic comprises a) finely distributed particle of a biodegradable, water-soluble, organic component, and b) finely distributed particles of a water-soluble, inorganic component promoting the growth of microorganisms and comprising N, P, and/or S. Said plastic is particularly based on cellulose esters such as cellulose acetate. Preferable components A are water-soluble saccharides and/or water-soluble organic acids. Said particularly advantageous biodegradable plastic is particularly available in the form of fibers, films, injection molded items, granulate beads, and containers. Controlled-release biocides and/or fertilizers can also be included in the molded part, wherein the molded part is degraded faster in the environment as said ingredients are released. The accelerated biodegradation is based on a synergistic interaction of the components indicated.

Biodegradable plastic and use thereof

A photodegradable paper including cellulose fibers and, if applicable, fillers, additives and/or other kind of fibers is described. Also described, is a paper particularly in the field of packaging, tissue papers or cigarettes.

Photodegradable paper and its use

A photodegradable plastic is described, comprising cellulose esters and also, if appropriate, additives. A particular characterizing feature of this photodegradable plastic is that it comprises a dispersed photocatalytic carbon-modified titanium dioxide. Comparative experiments show that this photodegradable plastic exhibits a surprisingly high increase in photocatalytic degradability when compared with products in which a conventional or other modified titanium dioxide is used. This improvement is apparent in particular in use of the photodegradable plastic according to the invention when it is further processed to give moldings. The photodegradable plastic can, for example, first be further processed to give a filter tow. This can be used to produce filter rods, and these can then be used to produce filter plugs for filter-tip cigarettes.

Photodegradable plastics material and its use

The invention is directed to a cellulose acetate filaments.

Cellulose acetate filaments with a trilobal cross section

There are described filaments on the basis of a cellulose acetate soluble in acetone, the degree of polymerization (DP) of the cellulose acetate being between about 110 and 210 and the degree of substitution (DS) preferably between about 2.2 and 2.7. Optically isotropic spinning solutions can be obtained, the cellulose acetate concentration of which is about 35 to 47 mass-%. When such an optically isotropic spinning solution is spun, in particular by dry spinning, filaments are obtained in a profitable manner because the costs connected with the recovery of the acetone can be appreciably lowered, without impairing the desirable properties of the filaments, which are suitable in particular for the production of cigarette filter tow.

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Merzhausen, Germany

Wolfgang Koppe