Preparation method of plant-based expanded and foamed filling particles

Abstract

The invention discloses a preparation method of plant-based expanded and foamed filling particles. The preparation method comprises the following steps: drying plant raw materials; adding pigment into the dried plant raw materials, then adding into a spiral stirring chamber of a granulator, grinding, and stirring into powder; and when the temperature rises to 90-110 DEG C, extruding the mixture from a discharge hole in the head of the stirring chamber, instantly puffing the mixture when the mixture encounters air, and then cutting the mixture into particles through a cutter arranged at the discharge hole. According to the plant-based expanded foaming filling particles, the plant-based expanded foaming filling particles are only prepared from single raw materials of non-edible seeds or mildewed grain particles, auxiliary materials such as a foaming agent are not needed, the raw materials are low in cost, non-toxic and capable of being rapidly degraded, processing equipment and a processing technology are simple, and the production cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of filling particles, and in particular to a method for preparing plant-based expanded foaming filling particles for filling the gap between a product in a packaging box and a box wall. Background Art

[0002] Many products are usually filled with cushioning particles after being placed in packaging boxes to cushion the vibration during transportation and protect the products. The cushioning particles commonly used at present include foam particles (EPS particles), EPE pearl cotton particles, plastic particles (PP / PE particles) and air capsules (inflated particles). Although these cushioning particles have good cushioning properties, they are difficult to degrade in the natural environment and will cause ecological pollution.

[0003] To this end, Chinese invention patent CN114106395A discloses a fully biodegradable starch foaming material and its preparation method, which uses starch and plant fiber as main raw materials, and prepares a fully biodegradable foaming material through a modified granulation process, which can be used as feed or fertilizer for secondary use. However, this solution still has the following defects: first, the main raw materials such as starch and plant fiber are relatively expensive; second, a variety of auxiliary materials are added during the preparation process for surface gelatinization treatment, and additives such as talcum powder are added, so the production process is complicated and the production cost is increased. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned defects, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method for preparing plant-based expanded foaming filling particles to solve the problems of high raw material cost, complex production process and high production cost in the prior art.

[0005] To this end, the present application provides a method for preparing plant-based expanded foaming filling particles, the method comprising the following steps:

[0006] Drying the plant raw materials;

[0007] Pigments are added to the dried plant materials and then added to the spiral mixing chamber of the pelletizer to be ground and stirred into a dough-like mixture;

[0008] When the temperature rises to 90-110℃, the mixture is squeezed out from the discharge hole at the head of the mixing chamber. The mixture expands instantly after encountering air, and then is cut into particles by a cutter set at the discharge hole.

[0009] Based on the above technical scheme, the present application directly uses plant raw materials such as non-edible seeds or moldy grain particles, and utilizes a pellet machine to prepare plant-based expanded foaming filling particles. No other chemical raw materials are added in the production process. The cost of plant raw materials is low, the processing equipment and production process are simple, and the finished product is non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and can be quickly degraded.

[0010] In the above technical solution, preferably, the plant raw material is non-edible seeds, or moldy grain particles, and the pigment is a non-toxic powdered pigment.

[0011] In the above technical solution, preferably, the non-edible seeds include mulberry, abrac or datura, and the moldy grains include moldy corn kernels or rice kernels.

[0012] In the above technical solution, preferably, the moisture content of the dried plant material is between 5% and 16%.

[0013] In the above technical solution, preferably, each batch of plant-based expanded foaming filling particles is made of a single plant raw material.

[0014] It can be seen from the above technical scheme that the method for making plant-based expanded foaming filling particles provided by the present invention solves the problems of high raw material cost and complicated production process in the prior art. Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0015] The expanded foaming filling particles are prepared using only non-edible seeds or moldy grain particles as a single raw material. No other auxiliary materials are added during the preparation process. The raw material cost is low, the processing equipment and process are simple, and the processing process and the finished product are non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and can be quickly degraded. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces and describes the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present invention or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention, and for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 A flow chart of the method for making the plant-based expanded foaming filling particles provided by the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a product picture of the plant-based expanded foaming filling particles prepared by the method of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described below are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] In order to more clearly explain and illustrate the technical solution and implementation of the present invention, several preferred specific embodiments for implementing the technical solution of the present invention are introduced below.

[0021] It should be noted that the directional words such as "inside, outside", "front, back" and "left, right" in this article are expressed based on the product usage status. Obviously, the use of the corresponding directional words does not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of this scheme.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, the method for preparing the plant-based expanded foaming filling particles provided in the present application comprises the following steps:

[0023] Step 110, drying the plant material.

[0024] In this step, the moisture content of the plant material after drying is between 5% and 16%.

[0025] In the present application, the plant raw materials are non-edible seeds or moldy grain particles, and the raw material cost is low. In addition, through the secondary utilization of moldy grains, not only food waste is reduced, but also environmental and economic benefits are brought.

[0026] Inedible seeds include, for example, mulberry, acacia or datura, and moldy grains include moldy corn or rice. Of course, inedible seeds or moldy grains are not limited to the above examples, and other varieties can also be selected, which will not be repeated here.

[0027] Step 120, adding pigment to the dried plant material, and then adding it to the spiral stirring chamber of the pelletizer to grind and stir it into a dough-like mixture.

[0028] The purpose of adding pigments is to make the finished plant-based expanded foaming filling particles have good-looking colors and enhance the appearance. The pigments are selected from non-toxic powdered pigments, so that the preparation process and the finished products are non-toxic. By adding different pigments, the finished plant-based expanded foaming filling particles can have different colors to meet the needs of different products or different users.

[0029] Step 130, during the grinding, stirring, extrusion and advancement process of the plant raw materials in the spiral stirring chamber of the pellet machine, they rub against each other under the mechanical force, and the temperature gradually rises, forming a high-temperature and high-pressure dough-like mixture. When the temperature rises to 90-110°C, the dough-like mixture is continuously extruded from the discharge hole at the head of the stirring chamber. The extruded mixture expands instantly after encountering air, and is cut into pellets by a cutter set at the discharge hole. The finished product is as follows Figure 2 shown.

[0030] The finished plant-based expanded foamed filling particles prepared by the above method can be expanded into 8 to 11 volume units according to the different raw materials. The product density is 70 kg / cubic meter, with high expandability and light weight.

[0031] In the above method, grinding, stirring, extrusion pushing and granulation are all carried out automatically. For example, the temperature is detected by a temperature sensor installed in the stirring chamber. When the control system detects that the temperature rises to 90-110°C, the discharge hole is opened to allow the mixed material to be continuously extruded in strips from the discharge hole at the head of the stirring chamber.

[0032] The cutter can adopt a reciprocating swinging knife, and the control system starts the swinging operation when it detects that the temperature rises to 90-110℃.

[0033] Compared with the traditional puffing granulation scheme, the present application utilizes frictional heating to increase the temperature of the raw materials, and has simple equipment and process.

[0034] Traditional biodegradable biofoaming materials usually use starch as raw material, and chemical raw materials such as glyceryl monostearate and calcium dihydrogen phosphate are added in the material making process, which can easily cause the soil to harden and compact after degradation. This application scheme uses non-edible seeds or moldy grains, does not add any chemical raw materials in the production process, is non-toxic, degrades quickly, and is harmless to the soil after degradation. According to tests, the product produced by the method of the present invention has a natural degradation time of about 3 months and a biological degradation time of about one month.

[0035] For different plant raw material varieties, the corresponding puffing process parameters can be obtained in advance after testing, such as the temperature and moisture content of the powdered material in the mixing chamber. In this way, the process parameters of the pellet machine can be set according to the plant raw material variety currently used.

[0036] In this application, each batch of plant-based expanded foam filling particles is usually made of a single plant raw material to avoid the expansion process parameters affecting the quality of the expanded foam filling particles when different varieties of raw materials are mixed, such as the elasticity or volume enlargement not meeting the use requirements.

[0037] Based on the description of the above specific embodiments, the method for preparing the plant-based expanded foaming filling particles provided by the present invention has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0038] First, the present application uses only non-edible seeds or moldy grain particles as a single raw material to prepare expanded foam filling particles. No auxiliary materials such as foaming agents are required. The raw material cost is low, and the processing process and finished products are non-flammable, non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and can be quickly degraded.

[0039] Second, in the processing technology of the present application, a pellet machine can be used for production, friction heat is used to reach a certain temperature, and then spiral extrusion is used to discharge the material. The processing equipment is cheap and simple, the process is simple, and one to two people can operate it, which is quick and convenient.

[0040] Third, the finished product particles can be adjusted in size and color, have a certain degree of elasticity and are light in weight.

[0041] Finally, it should be noted that the terms "comprises", "includes" or any other variants thereof as used herein are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the phrase "comprises a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element.

[0042] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned optimal implementation mode. Anyone should be aware that any structural changes made under the inspiration of the present invention, and any technical solutions that are the same or similar to the present invention, fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for preparing plant-based expanded foaming filling particles, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Drying the plant raw materials; Pigments are added to the dried plant materials and then added to the spiral mixing chamber of the pelletizer to be ground and stirred into a dough-like mixture; When the temperature rises to 90-110℃, the mixture is squeezed out from the discharge hole at the head of the mixing chamber. The mixture expands instantly after encountering air, and then is cut into particles by a cutter set at the discharge hole.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The plant raw materials are non-edible seeds or moldy grain particles, and the pigment is a non-toxic powdery pigment.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The non-edible seeds include mulberry, acacia bean or datura, and the moldy grains include moldy corn kernels or rice kernels.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The moisture content of the dried plant material is between 5% and 16%.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Each batch of plant-based expanded foam filler particles is made from a single plant raw material.

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