Process for manufacturing particles comprising polylactic acid

• Main Authors: Gobius Du Sart, Gerrit, Van Doorn, Taco Pascal, De Vos, Siebe Cornelis
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 02.07.2024
• Subjects: ADHESIVES; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F,C08G; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; DYES; EARTH DRILLING; EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FORELSEWHERE; MECHANICAL METHODS OR APPARATUS IN THE MANUFACTURE OFARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES ORRIBBONS; METALLURGY; MINING; MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS; MISCELLANEOUS COMPOSITIONS; NATURAL OR ARTIFICIAL THREADS OR FIBRES; NATURAL RESINS; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR ASLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PAINTS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POLISHES; PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BESHAPED; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIALCONTAINING PLASTICS; SPINNING; TEXTILES; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL; WORKING-UP

A process for manufacturing particles including a stereocomplex of poly-D-lactide (PDLA) and poly-L-lactide (PLLA), including the steps of: extruding a melt including 30-70 wt. % of PDLA and 70-30 wt. % of PLLA through an sc-PLA formation zone in a twin-screw extruder, wherein the formation zone is operated at a barrel temperature above the melting temperature of the PDLA and PLLA and below 220° C.; wherein the sc-PLA formation zone is followed by a finishing zone which is operated at a barrel temperature below 160° C.; wherein the finishing zone is followed by the end of the extruder which has a die-head resistance of 0; and recovering solid stereocomplex particles from the end of the extruder. The stereocomplex particles find use in various applications, e.g., in fracking fluids, as filler, as nucleating agent, in particular in the molding of semi-crystalline PLA, or as a starting material for the manufacture of sc-PLA products.