Abstract: A process for carrying out a multi-phase reaction in a continuously operated tube reactor operated according to the counter current principle in which reactor components of a liquid phase flowing downwards as a thin film in said tube reactor and components of a continuous gas flowing upward in said tube reactor are brought to material transfer, or reaction respectively. The gas phase is pulsed, by repeated temporary pressure lowering at the gas entry into said tube reactor and/or repeated temporary pressure increase at the gas exit from said tube reactor, to counteract film thickness growth and liquid phase stagnation.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for extracting hydrophobic compounds from substantially fat-, oil-, and wax-free substance mixtures by using at least one non-polar extraction solvent in conjunction with at least one water-soluble organic solvent wherein the extraction solvent containing the hydrophobic compound can be recovered as the upper phase in a phase separation.

Abstract: The extraction of native products is rendered difficult by the fact that attraction forces act between the liquid native products which are not water-soluble and the tissue incorporating them, and that other constituents are dissolved or present in the form of particles in suspension in the products during the extraction process. The initial substance mixture is, therefore, processed together with a water-soluble, organic solvent and optionally water to form a paste. The addition of the water-soluble, organic solvent enables the substance mixture to be separated cleanly into an aqueous phase and an organic phase in the centrifugal field, no further cleaning being necessary for the organic phase. The process according to the invention has a wide area of application. In principle, it can be applied to all substance mixtures containing liquid, organic substances, in particular to vegetable and animal tissue.

Abstract: A process for producing a starch intermediate product in which the reactive hydroxy groups are activated by swelling and disintegrating starch with dilute aqueous-alkali lye, precipitating the disintegrated starch from an aqueous-alkali solution by adding a precipitant which is miscible with water, separating the precipitated disintegrated starch, which exists in a highly activated form, from the filtrate producing a starch intermediate product, and drying the starch intermediate product. A starch intermediate product produced by this process results in a starch which exists in a highly activated form but which is stable in storage.

Abstract: The present invention relates to water-resistant, thermoplastic starch materials processable into environmentally safe, thermoplastically produced products and cast sheets, which consist of starch acyl compounds, obtainable from high amylose starches and the derivatives thereof and being sparingly soluble in water, and of plasticizers which like ethyl citrate, glycerol acetate and lactic acid ester have a gelatinizing effect and preferably a dissolution property resulting in brilliant transparence and, as can be proved, are biodegradable.

Abstract: A process for producing a starch intermediate product in which the reactive hydroxy groups are activated by swelling and disintegrating starch with dilute aqueous-alkali lye, precipitating the disintegrated starch from an aqueous-alkali solution by adding a precipitant which is miscible with water, separating the precipitated disintegrated starch, which exists in a highly activated form, from the filtrate producing a starch intermediate product, and drying the starch intermediate product. A starch intermediate product produced by this process results in a starch which exists in a highly activated form but which is stable in storage.

Abstract: A biodegradable plastic material based on cellulose esters and possibly biodegradable carboxylic acid esters, glycol esters or glycol ethers as softener, composed of from about 50 to about 90 weight percent cellulose ester, from about 5 to about 40 weight percent softener, from about 5 to about 30 weight percent polyester and from about 0.5 to about 5 weight percent AQ-nylon. The biodegradable plastic material may also contain organic acids and/or acid esters and/or ethers different from the softener, and other additives, such as flame inhibitors, and is distinguished by excellent biodegradability, injection molding and blow molding characteristics. Also disclosed are articles made of the material of the invention and methods of making such articles. It is preferably molded into thin sheets and transparent plastic articles, preferably into enclosures/containers for oil lamps, eternal flame oil candles, composition lights, other cemetery light designs, votive lights and thin sheets.

Abstract: The invention relates to special amyloses for producing biodegradable, clear, transparent and flexible plastic, in particular sheets and films, whicha) are swellable, but not soluble, in cold water;b) yield homogenous, flowable quasi-solutions without formation of gels if they are heated, with stirring, to temperatures above 80.degree. C., at atmospheric pressure; during cooling to a temperature of 50.degree. C., this state is maintained for at least five minutes, without gel formation or retrogradation, and the solution in a concentration between 5 and 25% is applicable to knife coating onto a plane surface with a gap width between 100 and 700 .mu.m.

Abstract: Water-resistant, thermoplastic starch materials which are processable into environmentally safe, thermoplastically produced products and cast sheets. They consist of starch acyl compounds, obtainable from high amylose starches and their derivatives (being sparingly soluble in water), and of plasticizers (like citric acid ethyl ester, glycerol acetate and lactic acid ester), which have a gelatinizing effect, and preferably, a dissolution property resulting in brilliant transparence and, as can be proved, are biodegradable.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process of producing symmetrically structured difatty acid diamines by reacting mixtures of fatty acids or their esters with diamines, isolating the symmetrical difatty acid diamides from the reaction mixture by making use of their different solubilities and concentrating them by recrystallisation if necessary. The invention also provides for a process of isolating a fatty acid from a mixture of fatty acids wherein the difatty acid diamides produced in the process of the invention are saponified to yield the corresponding free fatty acid.

Abstract: The present invention relates to plastics that can be obtained by reacting unsaturated and/or hydroxyl-group-containing fatty acids or their esters or mixtures of various such fatty acids and esters with bifunctional ester-forming and/or amide-forming compounds and, if necessary, subsequently converting ethylenic double bonds, to give difatty acid diamides, difatty acid diesters, difatty acid amide esters, monofatty acid amide amines or monofatty acid amide alcohols as monomer components which contain at least two reactive groups suited for linkage to give polymers, in particular ethylenic double bonds, hydroxyl groups, epoxy groups or amino groups, and by linking the said compounds in the known way via a second group of bifunctional compounds that are capable of reacting with these free reactive groups to give the desired plastics.

Abstract: The invention describes a method of producing a molding compound on the basis of starch and a plasticizer starting product, characterized in that the starch and the plasticizer starting product are simultaneously reacted with ethylene oxide in one and the same reaction vessel.

Abstract: A method of joining wood material and plasstic material. An anchoring layer is applied to the area of the wood material that is to be joined to the plastic material and adhesively joined to the respective area which has a high specific surface area and with which the plastic material is joined by injection molding. The resultant composite material can be used in particular in the furniture sector and in housing construction, where low-cost and stable veneered plastic parts can be produced by the method, which can be made fire-proof by using appropriate plastic materials. Additional fields of application are the automobile industry, the construction of campers and boats, and aircraft construction. The wood material that is mainly used is veneer wood, because of the high quality of the visible surface of the composite.