Method of making cellulose bioplastics
The present invention includes a bioplastic and a method of making a bioplastic comprising the steps of: dissolving a low quality cellulose biomass in a solvent, wherein low quality is defined as having little to no textile value; regenerating cellulose fibers by removing the solvent; plasticizing the cellulose fibers in the presence of a polyol into a plasticized film; and hot pressing the plasticized film into the bioplastic.
1 . A method of making a bioplastic comprising the steps of:
dissolving a low quality cellulose biomass in a solvent, wherein low quality is defined as having little to no textile value;
regenerating cellulose fibers by removing the solvent;
plasticizing the cellulose fibers in the presence of a polyol into a plasticized film; and
hot pressing the plasticized film into the bioplastic, wherein the low quality cellulose is a low quality cotton cellulose that has one or more of the following values: (1) micronaire equal to or less than 2.5; length equal to or less than 1.14; uniformity equal to or less than 77%; strength g/tex equal to or less than 29; elongation equal to or less than 7%, color 31-3, or leaf equal to or less than 2.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the cellulose is derived from cotton, wood, hemp, bacterial cellulose, microbial cellulose, tunicate, algae, or grass cellulose.
3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of at least one of: scouring or bleaching the low quality cellulose biomass prior to dissolving in the solvent.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the solvent is an alkali metal/organic solvent selected from dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide, tetrahydrofuran, butoxyethanol, 1-propanol, methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, acetone, dimethylsulfoxide, urea, or sulfolane.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising adding an ionic salt to the solvent, wherein the ionic salt is at least one of: LiCl, NaOH, NaCl, LiF, KCl, or LiBr.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the low quality cellulose biomass is dissolved at 0.1-2% weight to volume in the solvent.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of dissolving is at a temperature of at least 100° C. degrees or higher for at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 hours.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the polyol is glycerol, poly(vinyl chloride), poly(vinyl butyral), poly(vinyl acetate), polypropylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, ethylene glycol or sorbitol.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the low quality cellulose biomass is dissolved in an organic solvent for a first predetermined period of time, and then an ionic salt is added for a second predetermined period of time.
10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of forming the bioplastic into a film, a fiber, spun into a yarn, a matrix, a mat, a mesh, or functionalized.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the polyol is at 10-99% volume to volume.
12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of functionalizing the bioplastic with a plasma in the presence of a fatty acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, or aliphatic compounds selected from vinyl laurate, vinyl stearate, vinyl decanoate, and vinyl valerate.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the bioplastic is biodegradable, partially biodegradable, or non-biodegradable in soil.
14 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of hydrolyzing the low quality cellulose biomass prior to the step of dissolving the low quality cellulose biomass.