Carbohydrate-Based Plastic Odor Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional petrochemical-based plastics are not biodegradable and often have a noticeable odor when starch or starch-based materials are added, which can be problematic for enclosed plastic articles.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a small fraction of an organic odor-reducing agent, such as aromatic compounds or extracts from fruits and vegetables, into the carbohydrate-based polymeric material to minimize or eliminate the characteristic burned starch odor, allowing for the production of sustainable plastics with reduced odor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If starch or starch-based materials are added to plastic composition to increase sustainability, then the biodegradability and sustainability of the plastic material is improved, but the material develops a noticeable odor (burned starch, popcorn-like, or caramel corn type odor)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an odor-reducing agent as an intermediary substance that mediates between the starch-based polymeric material and the final plastic product. This agent specifically targets and reduces the characteristic odor generated by the starch material while preserving the sustainability benefits, thus resolving the contradiction between sustainability improvement and odor generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the chemical composition parameters of the plastic material by adding specific odor-reducing agents. This changes the odor profile parameter of the final product while maintaining the sustainability parameter, effectively resolving the technical contradiction through parameter optimization.
2Reliability
If a significant fraction of starch or starch-based material is included in the plastic composition, then the sustainability is improved, but the characteristic odor becomes more noticeable and accumulates in enclosed structures
Solution Approach 1:
The odor-reducing agent serves as a mediator that specifically addresses the odor accumulation problem in enclosed structures. It interacts with the starch-based material to prevent odor generation at the source, allowing high fractions of sustainable starch material to be used without the harmful odor accumulation effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful odor-generating property of starch-based materials into a benefit by adding odor-reducing agents. The same starch material that would normally produce unpleasant odors in enclosed structures now contributes to sustainability without the negative odor effect, effectively transforming a harmful characteristic into a beneficial one.
Data Source
AI summary
Sustainable thermoplastic carbohydrate-based polymeric materials, and sustainable plastic materials including an organic odor-reducing agent to counteract a slight burned carbohydrate odor resulting from inclusion of a carbohydrate-based polymeric material within the described materials. Such carbohydrate-based polymeric material may be starch-based, and the slight characteristic odor lent by such material may be that of a somewhat burned starch, such as a popcorn or caramel corn type odor. Applicant has found that this slight odor can be substantially removed by addition of a very small fraction of particular organic materials. 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde (vanillin) has been found to be particularly effective, even in very small concentrations. Other freeze-dried fruit extracts (e.g., strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, etc.) may similarly be used. As little as 20 ppm of the organic odor-reducing agent is sufficient to substantially remove the characteristic burned starch odor. A ratio of the odor-reducing agent to the carbohydrate-based polymer may be less than 1:1000.