Biodegradable compositions and articles made from cellulose acetate

1 . A composition comprising:

(1) a cellulose acetate,

wherein the cellulose acetate has an acetyl degree of substitution (“DS Ac ”) in the range of from 2.2 to 2.6, and wherein the number average molecular weight (“M n ”) of the cellulose acetate is between 20,000 and 100,000, wherein the M n is measured using gel permeation chromatography with a polystyrene equivalent and using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as the solvent,

(2) from 17-23 wt % of a polyethylene glycol 400 (“PEG400”), and

(3) a stabilizer, which comprises a combination of (i) a secondary antioxidant which is a phosphite compound; and (ii) one or more primary antioxidants, (iii) citric acid, or a combination thereof,

wherein the secondary antioxidant is present at from 0.01 to 0.8 wt %,

wherein the primary antioxidant is present at from 0.05 to 0.7 wt %,

wherein the citric acid is present at from 0.05 to 0.2 wt %,

all weight percentage is based on the total weight of the composition,

wherein the composition is melt processable, biodegradable, and disintegrable.

2 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises a filler in an amount of from 1 to 60 wt %, based on the total weight of the composition.

3 . The composition of claim 2 , wherein the filler is a carbohydrate, a cellulosic filler, an inorganic filler, a food byproduct, a desiccant, an alkaline filler, or combinations thereof.

4 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises a biodegradable polymer other than a cellulose acetate.

5 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein when the composition is formed into a film having a thickness of 0.38 mm, the film exhibits greater than 5% disintegration after 6 weeks and greater than 90% disintegration after 12 weeks according to Disintegration Test Protocol, as described in the specification.

6 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein when the composition is formed into a film having a thickness of 0.38 mm, the film exhibits greater than 10% disintegration after 6 weeks and greater than 90% disintegration after 12 weeks according to Disintegration Test Protocol, as described in the specification.

7 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein when the composition is formed into a film having a thickness of 0.76 mm, the film exhibits greater than 90% disintegration after 12 weeks according to Disintegration Test Protocol, as described in the specification.

8 . An article comprising the composition of claim 1 .

9 . The article of claim 8 , wherein the article meets the criteria established by the United States Food and Drug Administration for designation as food contact compliant.

10 . The article of claim 8 , wherein the article is formed from an orienting process, an extrusion process, an injection molding process, a blow molding process, or a thermoforming process.

11 . The article of claim 10 , wherein the article is formed from a thermoforming process, and the film or sheet used to form the article is from 0.25 to 4.1 mm thick.

12 . The article of claim 8 , wherein when the article is clear, the article exhibits a haze of less than 10%.

13 . The article of claim 8 , wherein the gel count is less than 8.0% area, as determined according to the gel count test protocol described in the specification.

14 . The article of claim 8 , wherein the article exhibits greater than 90% disintegration after 12 weeks according to disintegration test protocol for films, as described in the specification.