Novel environment-friendly disposable chopsticks and production process

Abstract

The invention belongs to the field of disposable chopsticks, particularly relates to novel environment-friendly disposable chopsticks, and aims to solve the problems that existing disposable chopsticks are generally single in material composition and poor in strength and performance, according to the scheme, the novel environment-friendly disposable chopsticks comprise an internal supporting rod and a wrapping layer wrapping the supporting rod, the wrapping layer is made of PLA, and the wrapping layer is made of polylactic acid. The invention further provides a production process of the novel environment-friendly disposable chopsticks, the novel environment-friendly disposable chopsticks comprise the following steps that S1, material pretreatment is conducted, the periphery of the supporting rod is wrapped with the wrapping layer, so that the wrapping layer is arranged on the periphery of the supporting rod, the wrapping layer is arranged on the periphery of the supporting rod, and the wrapping layer is arranged on the periphery of the supporting rod; the strength performance of the disposable chopsticks can be improved, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, meanwhile, degradable PLA is adopted as the wrapping layer, health and safety of consumers can be ensured, pollution to the environment can be remarkably reduced, and the environment problem caused by plastic waste can be relieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of disposable chopsticks, and in particular to novel environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks and a production process. Background Art

[0002] Disposable chopsticks, as a convenient dining tool, are commonly found in various restaurants and take-out packaging. They are usually quickly processed from bamboo or wood, light and easy to discard, meeting the needs of the fast-paced modern life. Although they provide convenience during meals, the widespread use of disposable chopsticks has also aroused environmental concerns because they consume a large amount of natural resources and generate waste, increasing the burden of garbage disposal.

[0003] In recent years, the improvement of environmental awareness has prompted some businesses to turn to disposable chopsticks made of degradable or recycled materials to reduce the impact on the environment. However, the existing disposable chopsticks are usually made of a single material with poor strength and performance. Therefore, a new type of environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks and production process are proposed. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the shortcomings of the existing disposable chopsticks in the prior art, that is, the material composition of the existing disposable chopsticks is usually relatively simple, and the strength and performance are relatively poor, and to propose a new type of environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks and a production process.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A novel environmentally friendly disposable chopstick comprises an internal support rod and a wrapping layer wrapped around the outside of the support rod, wherein the wrapping layer is made of PLA and the support rod is a bamboo rod.

[0007] Furthermore, the top and bottom of the wrapping layer are both provided with anti-slip frosted parts.

[0008] The present invention also provides a novel production process of environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks, comprising the following steps:

[0009] S1: Material pretreatment:

[0010] Preparation of support rods: Choose bamboo with good growth and hard texture as the raw material of the support rods, cut the bamboo into bamboo segments of appropriate length, and further process it into the shape of bamboo chopsticks, then grind its surface to increase the roughness, then rinse it to remove surface stains, maintain cleanliness, and finally dry it;

[0011] Wrap layer preparation: Use injection molding grade PLA pellets, pre-dried;

[0012] S2: Injection molding:

[0013] Fix the mold to the injection molding machine, preheat it to the set temperature, then add the dried PLA particles into the hopper, and feed the PLA particles into the injection molding machine through a metering conveyor. At the same time, use an automatic feeder to feed the processed bamboo chopsticks into the mold and fix them, then inject them into the mold through the die head to wrap the bamboo chopsticks, and finally cool and demold them;

[0014] S3: Post-processing:

[0015] After the injection molding is completed, the burrs around the wrapping layer are removed manually, and the wrapping layer is checked to see if it is uniform and free of bubbles or cracks. If bubbles or cracks are present, it is recycled.

[0016] Furthermore, during the preparation of the support rod, the bamboo chopsticks are dried at a temperature of 80-100 degrees Celsius for 2-4 hours.

[0017] Further, during the PLA preparation process, the PLA pellets were kept at a temperature of 55-60 degrees Celsius and dried for 4-6 hours.

[0018] Furthermore, during the injection molding process, segmented heating is adopted, wherein the rear end of the barrel is set to 160-180 degrees Celsius, the front end is set to 180-200 degrees Celsius, and the mold temperature is 40-60 degrees Celsius.

[0019] Furthermore, after the raw material is melted and injected into the mold, the injection pressure is set to 40-70 MPa and the pressure is maintained for 5-15 seconds.

[0020] Further, the PLA particle production process includes the following steps:

[0021] S1: Lactic acid is dehydrated at 140-180 degrees Celsius using tin salt as a catalyst to generate oligomers which are then cracked into lactide, which is then purified by distillation;

[0022] S2: After the purification, stannous octoate is added to the lactide as a catalyst and reacted at 130-180 degrees Celsius. Nitrogen is added as a protective gas during the reaction. The catalyst triggers the lactide to open the ring and the chain grows to form high molecular weight PLA.

[0023] S3: removing unreacted monomers and catalyst residues, then melting through an extruder, extruding and pelletizing, and drying the pellets.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0025] 1. The present invention provides a wrapping layer wrapped around the outer periphery of the support rod, so that the wrapped support rod can improve the strength performance of disposable chopsticks and reduce the manufacturing cost. At the same time, the use of degradable PLA as the wrapping layer can ensure the health and safety of consumers, significantly reduce pollution to the environment, and help alleviate the environmental problems caused by plastic waste. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a new type of environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks proposed by the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 A partial cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of a new type of environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks proposed by the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 The present invention provides a schematic flow chart of a production process for a novel environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks.

[0029] In the figure: 1. wrapping layer; 2. frosted part; 3. support rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments.

[0031] Embodiment 1

[0032] Reference Figure 1-Figure 3 A new type of environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks includes an internal support rod 3 and a wrapping layer 1 wrapped around the outside of the support rod 3. The wrapping layer 1 is made of PLA, and the support rod 3 is a bamboo rod. The wrapped support rod 3 can improve the strength performance of the disposable chopsticks and reduce the manufacturing cost. At the same time, the use of degradable PLA as the wrapping layer 1 can ensure the health and safety of consumers, significantly reduce pollution to the environment, and help alleviate the environmental problems caused by plastic waste.

[0033] The top and bottom of the wrapping layer 1 are both provided with a non-slip frosted portion 2. The frosted portion 2 is provided so that the friction of the wrapping layer 1 can be increased, making it convenient to use and clamp food.

[0034] The present invention also provides a novel production process of environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks, comprising the following steps:

[0035] S1: Material pretreatment:

[0036] Preparation of support rod 3: Select bamboo with good growth and hard texture as the raw material of support rod 3, cut the bamboo into bamboo segments of appropriate length, and further process it into the shape of bamboo chopsticks, then grind its surface to increase the roughness, then rinse it to remove surface stains, maintain cleanliness, enhance the adhesion of support rod 3, facilitate injection molding, and finally dry it;

[0037] Preparation of wrapping layer 1: Use injection molding grade PLA particles, which are pre-dried. The dried PLA particles can avoid the presence of moisture that causes bubbles during injection molding, increase the injection molding effect, and improve the yield rate;

[0038] S2: Injection molding:

[0039] Fix the mold to the injection molding machine, preheat it to the set temperature, then add the dried PLA particles into the hopper, and feed the PLA particles into the injection molding machine through a metering conveyor. At the same time, use an automatic feeder to feed the processed bamboo chopsticks into the mold and fix them, then inject them into the mold through the die head to wrap the bamboo chopsticks, and finally cool and demold them. If the injection molding temperature is high, the bamboo chopsticks can be briefly dipped in wax or silicone oil to reduce the risk of thermal degradation;

[0040] S3: Post-processing:

[0041] After the injection molding is completed, the burrs around the wrapping layer 1 are manually removed, and the wrapping layer 1 is checked to see if it is uniform and free of bubbles or cracks. If bubbles or cracks are present, the wrapping layer 1 is recycled to prevent defective products from entering the market.

[0042] During the preparation of the support rod 3, the bamboo chopsticks are kept at a temperature of 80 degrees Celsius and dried for 2 hours to reduce the moisture content of the bamboo chopsticks. At the same time, the temperature is controlled to avoid deformation of the bamboo chopsticks due to high temperature.

[0043] During the PLA preparation process, the PLA particles are kept at 55 degrees Celsius for 4 hours to dry. The dried PLA particles can avoid the occurrence of bubbles caused by excessive moisture.

[0044] During the injection molding process, segmented heating is used, where the rear end of the barrel is set to 160 degrees Celsius, the front end is set to 180 degrees Celsius, and the mold temperature is 40 degrees Celsius to avoid PLA degradation.

[0045] After the raw material is melted and injected into the mold, the injection pressure is set to 40MPa and maintained for 5 seconds. Controlling the injection pressure of 40MPa can prevent the bamboo chopsticks from bending and deforming, and at the same time, shrinkage can be compensated by maintaining the pressure.

[0046] The PLA pellet production process includes the following steps:

[0047] S1: Lactic acid is dehydrated at 140 degrees Celsius using tin salt as a catalyst to generate oligomers which are then cracked into lactide, which is then purified by distillation.

[0048] S2: After the purification, stannous octoate is added to the lactide as a catalyst and reacted at 130 degrees Celsius. Nitrogen is added as a protective gas during the reaction. The catalyst triggers the lactide ring opening and the chain growth to form high molecular weight PLA.

[0049] S3: Remove unreacted monomers and catalyst residues, then melt through an extruder, extrude and pelletize, and dry them.

[0050] Embodiment 2

[0051] Reference Figure 1-Figure 3 A new type of environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks includes an internal support rod 3 and a wrapping layer 1 wrapped around the outside of the support rod 3. The wrapping layer 1 is made of PLA, and the support rod 3 is a bamboo rod. The wrapped support rod 3 can improve the strength performance of the disposable chopsticks and reduce the manufacturing cost. At the same time, the use of degradable PLA as the wrapping layer 1 can ensure the health and safety of consumers, significantly reduce pollution to the environment, and help alleviate the environmental problems caused by plastic waste.

[0052] The top and bottom of the wrapping layer 1 are both provided with a non-slip frosted portion 2. The frosted portion 2 is provided so that the friction of the wrapping layer 1 can be increased, making it convenient to use and clamp food.

[0053] The present invention also provides a novel production process of environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks, comprising the following steps:

[0054] S1: Material pretreatment:

[0055] Preparation of support rod 3: Select bamboo with good growth and hard texture as the raw material of support rod 3, cut the bamboo into bamboo segments of appropriate length, and further process it into the shape of bamboo chopsticks, then grind its surface to increase the roughness, then rinse it to remove surface stains, maintain cleanliness, enhance the adhesion of support rod 3, facilitate injection molding, and finally dry it;

[0056] Preparation of wrapping layer 1: Use injection molding grade PLA particles, which are pre-dried. The dried PLA particles can avoid the presence of moisture that causes bubbles during injection molding, increase the injection molding effect, and improve the yield rate;

[0057] S2: Injection molding:

[0058] Fix the mold to the injection molding machine, preheat it to the set temperature, then add the dried PLA particles into the hopper, and feed the PLA particles into the injection molding machine through a metering conveyor. At the same time, use an automatic feeder to feed the processed bamboo chopsticks into the mold and fix them, then inject them into the mold through the die head to wrap the bamboo chopsticks, and finally cool and demold them. If the injection molding temperature is high, the bamboo chopsticks can be briefly dipped in wax or silicone oil to reduce the risk of thermal degradation;

[0059] S3: Post-processing:

[0060] After the injection molding is completed, the burrs around the wrapping layer 1 are manually removed, and the wrapping layer 1 is checked to see if it is uniform and free of bubbles or cracks. If bubbles or cracks are present, the wrapping layer 1 is recycled to prevent defective products from entering the market.

[0061] During the preparation of the support rod 3, the bamboo chopsticks are kept at a temperature of 90 degrees Celsius and dried for 3 hours to reduce the moisture content of the bamboo chopsticks. At the same time, the temperature is controlled to avoid deformation of the bamboo chopsticks due to high temperature.

[0062] During the PLA preparation process, the PLA particles are kept at 58 degrees Celsius for 5 hours. The dried PLA particles can avoid the occurrence of bubbles caused by excessive moisture.

[0063] During the injection molding process, segmented heating is used, where the rear end of the barrel is set to 170 degrees Celsius, the front end is set to 190 degrees Celsius, and the mold temperature is 50 degrees Celsius to avoid PLA degradation.

[0064] After the raw material is melted and injected into the mold, the injection pressure is set to 55MPa and maintained for 10 seconds. Controlling the injection pressure of 55MPa can prevent the bamboo chopsticks from bending and deforming, and at the same time, shrinkage can be compensated by maintaining the pressure.

[0065] The PLA pellet production process includes the following steps:

[0066] S1: Lactic acid is dehydrated at 160 degrees Celsius using tin salt as a catalyst to generate oligomers which are then cracked into lactide, which is then purified by distillation.

[0067] S2: After the purification, stannous octoate is added to the lactide as a catalyst and reacted at 150 degrees Celsius. Nitrogen is added as a protective gas during the reaction. The catalyst triggers the lactide to open the ring and the chain grows to form high molecular weight PLA.

[0068] S3: Remove unreacted monomers and catalyst residues, then melt through an extruder, extrude and pelletize, and dry

[0069] Embodiment 3

[0070] Reference Figure 1-Figure 3A new type of environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks includes an internal support rod 3 and a wrapping layer 1 wrapped around the outside of the support rod 3. The wrapping layer 1 is made of PLA, and the support rod 3 is a bamboo rod. The wrapped support rod 3 can improve the strength performance of the disposable chopsticks and reduce the manufacturing cost. At the same time, the use of degradable PLA as the wrapping layer 1 can ensure the health and safety of consumers, significantly reduce pollution to the environment, and help alleviate the environmental problems caused by plastic waste.

[0071] The top and bottom of the wrapping layer 1 are both provided with a non-slip frosted portion 2. The frosted portion 2 is provided so that the friction of the wrapping layer 1 can be increased, making it convenient to use and clamp food.

[0072] The present invention also provides a novel production process of environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks, comprising the following steps:

[0073] S1: Material pretreatment:

[0074] Preparation of support rod 3: Select bamboo with good growth and hard texture as the raw material of support rod 3, cut the bamboo into bamboo segments of appropriate length, and further process it into the shape of bamboo chopsticks, then grind its surface to increase the roughness, then rinse it to remove surface stains, maintain cleanliness, enhance the adhesion of support rod 3, facilitate injection molding, and finally dry it;

[0075] Preparation of wrapping layer 1: Use injection molding grade PLA particles, which are pre-dried. The dried PLA particles can avoid the presence of moisture that causes bubbles during injection molding, increase the injection molding effect, and improve the yield rate;

[0076] S2: Injection molding:

[0077] Fix the mold to the injection molding machine, preheat it to the set temperature, then add the dried PLA particles into the hopper, and feed the PLA particles into the injection molding machine through a metering conveyor. At the same time, use an automatic feeder to feed the processed bamboo chopsticks into the mold and fix them, then inject them into the mold through the die head to wrap the bamboo chopsticks, and finally cool and demold them. If the injection molding temperature is high, the bamboo chopsticks can be briefly dipped in wax or silicone oil to reduce the risk of thermal degradation;

[0078] S3: Post-processing:

[0079] After the injection molding is completed, the burrs around the wrapping layer 1 are manually removed, and the wrapping layer 1 is checked to see if it is uniform and free of bubbles or cracks. If bubbles or cracks are present, the wrapping layer 1 is recycled to prevent defective products from entering the market.

[0080] During the preparation of the support rod 3, the bamboo chopsticks are kept at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius for 4 hours to reduce the moisture content of the bamboo chopsticks. At the same time, the temperature is controlled to avoid deformation of the bamboo chopsticks due to high temperature.

[0081] During the PLA preparation process, the PLA particles are kept at 60 degrees Celsius for 6 hours. The dried PLA particles can avoid the occurrence of bubbles caused by excessive moisture.

[0082] During the injection molding process, segmented heating is used, where the rear end of the barrel is set to 180 degrees Celsius, the front end is set to 200 degrees Celsius, and the mold temperature is 60 degrees Celsius to avoid PLA degradation.

[0083] After the raw material is melted and injected into the mold, the injection pressure is set to 70MPa and maintained for 15 seconds. Controlling the injection pressure of 70MPa can prevent the bamboo chopsticks from bending and deforming, and at the same time, shrinkage can be compensated by maintaining the pressure.

[0084] The PLA pellet production process includes the following steps:

[0085] S1: Lactic acid is dehydrated at 180 degrees Celsius using tin salt as a catalyst to generate oligomers which are then cracked into lactide, which is then purified by distillation.

[0086] S2: After the purification, stannous octoate is added to the lactide as a catalyst and reacted at 180 degrees Celsius. Nitrogen is added as a protective gas during the reaction. The catalyst triggers the lactide ring opening and the chain growth to form high molecular weight PLA.

[0087] S3: removing unreacted monomers and catalyst residues, then melting through an extruder, extruding and pelletizing, and drying the pellets.

[0088] The above description is only a preferred specific implementation manner of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can make equivalent replacements or changes according to the technical scheme and inventive concept of the present invention within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be covered by the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A new type of environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks, characterized in that: It comprises an internal support rod (3) and a wrapping layer (1) wrapped around the outside of the support rod (3), wherein the wrapping layer (1) is made of PLA, and the support rod (3) is a bamboo rod.

2. The new environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks according to claim 1 are characterized in that: The top and bottom of the wrapping layer (1) are both provided with anti-slip frosted portions (2).

3. A production process for a novel environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1: Material pretreatment: Preparation of the support rod (3): Select bamboo with good growth and hard texture as the raw material of the support rod (3), cut the bamboo into bamboo segments of appropriate length, and further process it into the shape of bamboo chopsticks, then grind its surface to increase its roughness, then rinse it to remove surface stains, maintain cleanliness, and finally dry it; Wrapping layer (1) Preparation: Use injection molding grade PLA pellets, which are pre-dried; S2: Injection molding: Fix the mold to the injection molding machine, preheat it to the set temperature, then add the dried PLA particles into the hopper, and feed the PLA particles into the injection molding machine through a metering conveyor. At the same time, use an automatic feeder to feed the processed bamboo chopsticks into the mold and fix them, then inject them into the mold through the die head to wrap the bamboo chopsticks, and finally cool and demold them; S3: Post-processing: After the injection molding is completed, the burrs around the wrapping layer (1) are manually removed, and the wrapping layer (1) is checked to see whether it is uniform and has no bubbles or cracks. If bubbles or cracks are present, the wrapping layer (1) is recycled.

4. The production process of a novel environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks according to claim 3 is characterized in that: During the preparation of the support rod (3), the bamboo chopsticks are dried at a temperature of 80-100 degrees Celsius for 2-4 hours.

5. The production process of a novel environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks according to claim 3 is characterized in that: During the PLA preparation process, the PLA pellets are kept at a temperature of 55-60 degrees Celsius and dried for 4-6 hours.

6. The production process of a novel environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks according to claim 3 is characterized in that: During the injection molding process, segmented heating is adopted, in which the rear end of the barrel is set to 160-180 degrees Celsius, the front end is set to 180-200 degrees Celsius, and the mold temperature is 40-60 degrees Celsius.

7. The production process of a novel environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks according to claim 3 is characterized in that: After the raw material is melted, the injection pressure is set to 40-70MPa and maintained for 5-15 seconds.

8. The production process of the new environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The PLA pellet production process includes the following steps: S1: Lactic acid is dehydrated at 140-180 degrees Celsius using tin salt as a catalyst to generate oligomers which are then cracked into lactide, which is then purified by distillation; S2: After the purification, stannous octoate is added to the lactide as a catalyst and reacted at 130-180 degrees Celsius. Nitrogen is added as a protective gas during the reaction. The catalyst triggers the lactide to open the ring and the chain grows to form high molecular weight PLA. S3: removing unreacted monomers and catalyst residues, then melting through an extruder, extruding and pelletizing, and drying the pellets.

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