Abstract: Water stable fibers and articles made therefrom are formed from a thermoplastic composition comprising destructured starch, polyhydric alcohol, acid, and optionally triglyceride. Processes for making water stable compositions may comprise melt extruding a mixture of destructured starch, polyhydric alcohol, acid, and optionally triglyceride, to form an extrudate, and heating the mixture, extrudate, or both to provide a water stable article.

Abstract: Water stable fibers and articles made therefrom are formed from a thermoplastic composition comprising destructured starch, polyhydric alcohol, triglyceride, and optionally acid. Processes for making water stable compositions may comprise melt extruding a mixture of destructured starch, polyhydric alcohol, triglyceride, and optionally acid, to form an extrudate, and heating the mixture, extrudate, or both to provide a water stable article.

Abstract: Thermoplastic polymer compositions comprising starch and articles made therefrom are water stable or may be rendered so. One method of making water stable thermoplastic compositions comprises the steps of mixing destructured starch with polyhydric alcohol and triglyceride, and forming a transesterification reaction product from at least a portion of the polyhydric alcohol and triglyceride.

Abstract: Thermoplastic polymer compositions comprising starch and articles made therefrom are water stable or may be rendered so. One method of making water stable thermoplastic compositions comprises the steps of mixing destructured starch with polyhydric alcohol and acid, and forming an ester condensation reaction product from at least a portion of the polyhydric alcohol and acid. In some embodiments, a pre-polymer formed from the ester condensation reaction may be provided as a pre-polymer that is mixed with the starch.

Abstract: The invention relates to processes for extracting polyhydroxyalkanoate from a biomass, comprising admixing the biomass with an organic solvent for from 1 second to 15 minutes at a first temperature of from 5° C. below the melting point of the polyhydroxyalkanoate to 10° C. above the melting point of the polyhydroxyalkanoate and at a pressure of from 1 bar to 10 bar to provide a composition comprising the organic solvent and polyhydroxyalkanoate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for crystallizing a polymer having at least 20 mole percent of hydroxyalkanoate repeat units, comprising admixing the polymer and a compound of the formula R1—C(O)N(R2)2, R1—C(O)NH—(R3)—NHC(O)—R1, R1—NHC(O)NH—(R3)—NHC(O)NH—R1, R1—NHC(O)—R2, R1—NHC(O)—(R3)—C(O)NH—R1, R1—C(O)NH—(R3)—C(O)NH—R1, R1—NHC(O)NH—(R3)—C(O)NH—R1, R1—NHC(O)NH—(R3)—NHC(O)—R1, or a combination thereof, at a first temperature, which is from about 5° C. to about 15° C. above the melting point of the polymer; and cooling the polymer at a second temperature, which is from about the glass transition temperature of the polymer to about the melting point of the compound.

Abstract: Coated substrates include a coating and a substrate is selected from the group consisting of paper, fabric, thread and yarn. The coating comprises a biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate copolymer, wherein the biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate copolymer comprises a first randomly repeating monomer unit having the structure: wherein R1 is H or a C1-2 alkyl, and n is 1 or 2; and a second randomly repeating monomer unit having the structure: wherein R2 is a C3-19 alkyl or a C3-19 alkenyl; and wherein at least 50% of the randomly repeating monomer units have the structure of the first randomly repeating monomer unit.