Hydrocarbon-free, non-polymeric formulations and articles

Abstract

Disclosed herein are compositions comprising blends of at least one triglyceride; at least one fatty acid; and at least one fatty acid derivative, whereby said compositions exhibit improved processing and flame / burn characteristics. The compositions may, optionally, further comprise fillers, extenders, modifiers, binders, flame and article colorants, and perfumes and are useful in the manufacture of, for example, fireplace logs, fire starter blocks, candles, and the like.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of Invention[0002]The present invention relates to moldable and extrudable compositions that are useful for producing articles, such as candles and artificial firelogs. The compositions, which are flammable and combustible, comprise additives, e.g. oils, fats, and their derivatives, for improving processing and burn characteristics.[0003]2. Description of Related Art[0004]Fatty triglycerides and fatty acids derived from them by hydrolysis and removal of glycerin are known to be employed as fuels in candles, fire starter blocks, fireplace logs, and similar articles. They are mixed with polymeric and / or hydrocarbon (waxy-type) fuels or formulated into composites with various forms of fiber or other solid species, usually flammable materials.[0005]U.S. Pat. No. 3,297,419 discloses a synthetic fuel log produced from a flame-supporting material that is solid at room temperature. A filler or extender of a combustible type is combined with the flam...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0029]Altering the fatty materials with the use of additives for meeting required processing characteristics (hardness, softening point, ease of forming the object in a standard process, strength of the object immediately upon production and at a later time, moldability, mold release, extrudability and the like) of the burnable product and / or changing the nature of the way the combinations burn (flame height, time of burning, flame brightness and color, the ability of the object to hold together while burning etc.) can result in unique and novel compositions, the production of which is not obvious.

[0033]Hydrocarbon-free, non-polymeric formulations based on natural oils, fats, and their derivatives with or without cellulose-containing components are not believed to have been reported as moldable and / or extrudable owing to their very low softening points and poor burning characteristics: short burn time and low flame.

[0035]Thus, the present invention is directed to a moldable and / or extrudable composition that is suitable for manufacturing useful shaped articles and is based on triglyceride-fatty acid blends that also comprise fatty acid derivatives to achieve improved processing and flame-burning characteristics.

[0044]In still another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for improving the processing and flame-burning characteristics of articles comprising a blend of at least one triglyceride and at least one fatty acid, wherein the method comprises adding to said blend at least one fatty acid derivative.

Problems solved by technology

Additionally, various interactions among the additives and the fuels can result in both desirable and undesirable effects.

Therefore, altering the compositions to achieve all the desired characteristics, while at the same time avoiding the use of both polymeric and traditional hydrocarbons, is especially challenging.

Such techniques are known in the art; however, none of these techniques, alone, is sufficient to meet all the required and above-described desirable characteristics of the products involved.