Thermoplastic linoleum

1. A thermoplastic molding composition comprising:

(A) particles made of nonoxidatively polymerized vegetable oil which has been crosslinked by way of functional groups selected from carboxylic anhydride group and hydroxy group, and at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer; and

(B) at least one thermoplastic polymer.

2. The thermoplastic molding composition of claim 1 further comprising:

(C) at least one resin.

3. The thermoplastic molding composition of claim 1 further comprising:

(D) at least one filler.

4. The thermoplastic molding composition of claim 1 further comprising:

(E) additives.

5. The thermoplastic molding composition of claim 1 further comprising two or more of the following:

(C) at least one resin;

(D) at least one filler; and

(E) additives.

6. The molding composition according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one resin (C) is present in the particles (A).

7. The molding composition according to claim 1 , wherein the vegetable oil is selected from the group consisting of: linseed oil, perilla oil, tung oil, oiticica oil, fish oils, safflower oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, and mixtures thereof.

8. A process for producing the thermoplastic molding composition of claim 1 , said process comprising:

(1) nonoxidative polymerization of at least one vegetable oil, in the presence of at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer, in order to obtain a copolymer of vegetable oil and of at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer;

(2) introducing functional groups, selected from carboxylic anhydride group and hydroxy group, into the copolymer of vegetable oil and of at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer from step (1), in order to obtain a functionalized copolymer of vegetable oil and of at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer;

(5) adding at least one thermoplastic polymer to the copolymer of vegetable oil and of at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer, from step (2), in order to obtain a mixture, and

(6) crosslinking the mixture from step (5) by adding at least one reagent which reacts with the functional groups introduced in step (2), in order to obtain the thermoplastic molding composition.

9. The process according to claim 8 , wherein the polymerization of the vegetable oil in step (1) takes place by a Diels-Alder reaction.

10. A construction material, foil, window frame, insulation material or packaging material, a housing of apparatus, a part of a housing, an item of sports equipment, a toy, a bicycle or motorized bicycle, or an uncoated plastics surface, comprising the thermoplastic molding composition according to claim 8 .

11. The thermoplastic molding composition of claim 1 , wherein the nonoxidative polymerization is by a Diels-Alder reaction.

12. The thermoplastic molding composition of claim 1 , wherein the nonoxidative polymerization is by an intermolecular Diels-Alder reaction.

13. A process for producing the thermoplastic molding composition of claim 1 , said process comprising:

(3) introducing functional groups, selected from carboxylic anhydride group and hydroxy group, into at least one vegetable oil, in order to obtain a functionalized vegetable oil;

(4) nonoxidative polymerization of the functionalized vegetable oil from step (3), in the presence of at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer, in order to obtain a copolymer of vegetable oil and of at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer;

(5) adding at least one thermoplastic polymer to the copolymer of vegetable oil and of at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer, from step (4), in order to obtain a mixture; and

(6) crosslinking the mixture from step (5) by adding at least one reagent which reacts with the functional groups introduced in step (3), in order to obtain the thermoplastic molding composition.

14. The process according to claim 13 , wherein the polymerization of the vegetable oil in step (4) takes place by a Diels-Alder reaction.