Resin acids biodegradation

Special mention must be made of poly(lactic acid), a biodegradable/bio-resorbable polyester, obtained from renewable resources through fermentation of com starch sugar. This polymer can compete with conventional thermoplastics such as PET for conventional textile fibers or engineering plastics applications. Hie first Dow-Cargill PLA manufacturing facility is scheduled to produce up to 140,000 tons of Nature Works PLA per year beginning in 200245 at an estimated price close to that of other thermoplastic resins U.S. l/kg.46 Other plants are planned to be built in the near future.45... 

In addition to high biodegradability, Bionolle is verified by this smdy to offer CO2 emission characteristics superior to conventional resins, despite the fact that raw materials (succinic acid and 1,4-butanediol) are derived from naphtha. Given the prospects for producing succinic acid and 1,4-butanediol from biomass and waste paper, Bionolle may eventually offer even greater environmental benefits when it... 

TBC is used as a plasticizer that does not support fungal growth in cellulosic and vinyl resins (especially PVC), polyactic acid resins (as a biodegradable component), and furniture coatings. Also used as a solvent for nitrocellulose and lacquers intended for food contact applications. Additional applications include a defoaming agent in proteinaceous solutions. 

MSA appeared to be the best acid catalyst since it is an easy-to-handle liquid, often recyclable and less aggressive than sulfuric acid or HF. It is considered as readily biodegradable, ultimately forming sulfates and carbon dioxide [26]. More importantly, it provides tautomerically and anomerically pure butyl products unlike other acid conditions such as hydracids (HCl) or acid resins which furnish a mixture of pyranoside/furanoside alkyl glycosides. Additionally, in contrast to hydracids, MSA does not exhibit oligomerization processes. 

CEs are known to react with phenols to form iminocarbonates which eventually lead to polycyanurates with the liberation of more acidic phenol moiety. This can be a method to alter the gel point of the resin, Tg, and thermal stability of the network by co-curing diphenol with CE. Thus, copolymerization of dicyanate with diphenols resulted in polycyanurates with altered network structure and diminished crosslink density [237]. However, an earlier report claims poly(imi-nocarbonate) by reaction of these two in equimolar quantities. The thermoplastic so formed was reported to retain the mechanical properties like a polycarbonate. This approach can produce strong, non-toxic, biodegradable films and molded plastics that are degradable at temperatures above 140 °C [169,238]. Except for a few very early reports [239], the reaction of CE with anhydrides to form poly(iminocarbamates) has not been explored much. 

Apart from saturated fatty acids, Simoneit and Mazurek (1982) observed low concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids (range C,4-Ci7) a-hydroxy fatty acids (range C 0-C24) that are known components of grass wax dicarboxylic acids (range C 0-C24) that probably arise from the direct biodegradation of hydroxy fatty acids and diterpenoidal acids occurring as diagenetic products of diterpenoids from coniferous resins. 

This resin, however, mainly retains hydrophobic acids, whereas hydrophilic acids are better retained by XAD4 and are lost if only a XAD8 resin is used. Biodegradable DOC is adsorbed to a lesser degree on both resins than the non-biodegradable DOC (Agbekodo and Legube (1995)). 

The most advanced and ecologically friendly method of disposal of inhibited refuse is considered to be the use of self-destructive inhibited plastics with regulated lifetime. For example, Cortec Corp. has developed biodegradable resin products that are inhibited by VCI consisting essentially of a polymeric resin of PE, starch and polyesters, such as polylactic acid or other suitable polyesters [32]. 

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