Granted Patent B2

US 12,398,516 · App. 18/441,995 · Granted Aug 26, 2025

Inventors: Matthew Catarino (Berkeley, CA); Julia Marsh (Berkeley, CA); Joakim Lars Georg Engstrom (Berkeley, CA); Matthew Joseph Mayes (Berkeley, CA)

Assignee: SWAY INNOVATION CO.

D21H17/21A01G33/00C08G63/183C08L3/04C08L5/04C08L5/12

Abstract

Claims (39)

1. A seaweed-based composition, comprising:

a phycocolloid comprising agar, alginate, carrageenan, and/or unprocessed seaweed; and

an additive comprising a slip agent, an anti-block additive, viscosity enhancer, cross linker, thermal stabilizer, an antioxidant, a hydrophilic plasticizer, a hydrophobic plasticizer, glycerin, glycerol, polyglycerin, polyglyceride fatty acid esters, guar gum, sorbitol, tributyl citrate, erucamide, calcium carbonate, odor absorbers, ethylene glycol, water, and/or propylene glycol,

wherein:

the phycocolloid comprises no more than 90 wt % of the seaweed-based composition,

the additive comprises no more than 50 wt % of the seaweed-based composition, and

a moisture content of the seaweed-based composition is no more than 25 wt %.

2. The seaweed-based composition of claim 1 , wherein:

the phycocolloid comprises agar and is 10-80 wt % of the seaweed-based composition; and

the seaweed-based composition defines a pellet having a moisture content of no more than 25 wt %, a protein content no more than 15 wt %, a carbohydrate content of at least 30 wt %, and a minerals content no more than 40%.

3. The seaweed-based composition of claim 1 , wherein:

the phycocolloid comprises agar and is 10-80 wt % of the seaweed-based composition, and

the additive comprises glycerol and/or tributyl citrate.

4. The seaweed-based composition of claim 1 , wherein:

the phycocolloid comprises unprocessed seaweed, and

the unprocessed seaweed comprises no more than 80 wt % of the seaweed-based composition.

5. The seaweed-based composition of claim 1 , wherein the phycocolloid further comprises a chemically-modified phycocolloid, and wherein the chemically-modified phycocolloid comprises no more than 80 wt % of the seaweed-based composition.

6. The seaweed-based composition of claim 5 , wherein the chemically-modified phycocolloid comprises an ester functional group, a polyester functional group, an acetyl functional group, an acid anhydride group, a hydroxypropyl functional group, and/or a carboxymethyl functional group.

7. The seaweed-based composition of claim 1 , wherein the seaweed-based composition is a pellet having a cross-sectional dimension of 1-5 millimeters.

8. The seaweed-based composition of claim 1 , wherein the seaweed-based composition is a pellet comprising a melt flow index (MFI) of at least 0.1 g/10 min.

9. The seaweed-based composition of claim 1 , wherein the seaweed-based composition comprises (i) a protein content no more than 15 wt %, (ii) a carbohydrate content of at least 30 wt %, and (iii) a minerals content no more than 40%.

10. The seaweed-based composition of claim 1 , wherein the seaweed-based composition is configured to be processed to produce a compostable thermoplastic flexible film comprising a softening temperature of no more than 170° C. and/or a tensile strength of at least 5 megapascals.

11. The seaweed-based composition of claim 1 , wherein the phycocolloid comprises unprocessed seaweed, and wherein the unprocessed seaweed comprises no more than 50 wt % of the seaweed-based composition.

12. The seaweed-based composition of claim 11 , wherein the seaweed-based composition is a pellet having a cross-sectional dimension of 1-5 millimeters.

13. The seaweed-based composition of claim 11 , wherein the seaweed-based composition comprises (i) a protein content no more than 15 wt %, (ii) a carbohydrate content of at least 30 wt %, and (iii) a minerals content no more than 40%.

14. The seaweed-based composition of claim 1 , wherein the seaweed-based composition defines a pellet having a moisture content of no more than 25 wt %, a protein content no more than 15 wt %, a carbohydrate content of at least 30 wt %, and a minerals content no more than 40%, wherein a plurality of the pellets are configured to be formed into a compostable thin film material for packaging.

15. The seaweed-based composition of claim 1 , wherein:

the phycocolloid comprises agar and is 10-50 wt % of the seaweed-based composition,

the additive comprises glycerol and/or tributyl citrate and is no more than 50 wt % of the seaweed-based composition.

16. The seaweed-based composition of claim 1 , wherein the phycocolloid further comprises a chemically-modified phycocolloid, and wherein the chemically-modified phycocolloid comprises 10-50 wt % of the seaweed-based composition.

17. The seaweed-based composition of claim 16 , wherein the chemically-modified phycocolloid comprises an ester functional group, a polyester functional group, an acetyl functional group, a hydroxypropyl functional group, an acid anhydride group, and/or a carboxymethyl functional group.

18. The seaweed-based composition of claim 1 , wherein the additive comprises glycerol and/or tributyl citrate.

19. A seaweed-based composition, comprising:

a phycocolloid comprising agar, alginate, carrageenan, and/or unprocessed seaweed; and

an additive comprising a slip agent, an anti-block additive, viscosity enhancer, cross linker, thermal stabilizer, an antioxidant, a hydrophilic plasticizer, a hydrophobic plasticizer, glycerin, glycerol, polyglycerin, polyglyceride fatty acid esters, guar gum, sorbitol, tributyl citrate, erucamide, calcium carbonate, odor absorbers, ethylene glycol, water, and/or propylene glycol,

wherein a moisture content of the seaweed-based composition is no more than 25 wt %.

20. The seaweed-based composition of claim 19 , wherein:

the phycocolloid comprises no more than 90 wt % of the seaweed-based composition, and/or

the additive comprises no more than 50 wt % of the seaweed-based composition.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (3)

References Cited (56)