The present invention relates to a method for degradation of a plastic-containing waste further comprising cellulosic, plant and/or animal waste, the method comprising mixing the plastic-containing waste with a composition comprising bacteria in the presence of air wherein the plastic containing waste is filled to a predetermined level in a digesting apparatus comprising of an elongated tank having one or more rotating mixing shafts provided with radially extending agitating blades fixed to the shafts, wherein the plastic containing waste has a surface-to-volume ratio of at least 1.1 when the digesting apparatus is filled to the predetermined level, whereby the surface area is the surface area in m.sup.2 of the filled plastic containing waste to air interface, and the volume is the volume of the plastic containing waste in m.sup.3.

A blown film of soil biodegradable aliphatic polyesters produced primarily from diacid and diol monomers. The diacid monomers may be of any type including succinic acid, adipic acid, and hexanedioic acid. The diol monomer may be of any type including ethylene glycol, propanediol, butanediol, and hexanediol. Commercial aliphatic polyesters produced from diacid and diol monomers include polybutylene succinate (PBS), polybutylene adipate succinate (PBAS), and polybutylene adipate (PBA). Comonomers may also be added. Such comonomers include chemicals with a single carboxylic acid, hydroxy, or amine moiety, which act as chain terminators, chemicals with three or more carboxylic acid, epoxy, and/or hydroxy moieties which, act as branching agents.

Methods to fabricate objects by 3D printing of poly-4-hydroxybutyrate (P4HB) and copolymers thereof have been developed. In one method, these objects are produced by continuous fused filament fabrication using an apparatus and conditions that overcome the problems of poor feeding of the filament resulting from the low softening temperature of the filament and heat creep along the fed filament. Methods using an apparatus including a heat sink, a melt tube, a heating block and nozzle, and a transition zone between the heat sink and heating block, with the melt tube extending through the heat sink, transition zone, and heat block to the nozzle are disclosed. 3D objects are also printed by fused pellet deposition (FPD), melt extrusion deposition (MED), selective laser melting (SLM), printing of slurries and solutions using a coagulation bath, and printing using a binding solution and polymer granules.

Compounds and compositions are provided which are useful in additive printing, particularly additive printing techniques such as stereolithography (SLA) wherein a macromer is photopolymerized to form a manufactured article. Representative compounds comprise a polyaxial central core (CC) and 2-4 arms of the formula (A)-(B) or (B)-(A) extending from the central core, where at least one of the arms comprise a light-reactive functional group (Q) and (A) is the free-radical polymerization product from monomers selected from trimethylene carbonate (T) and ε-caprolactone (C), while (B) is the free-radical polymerization product from monomers selected from glycolide, lactide and ρ-dioxanone.

Parts made by additive manufacturing are often structural in nature, rather than having functional properties conveyed by a polymer or other component present therein. Printed parts having piezoelectric properties may be formed using compositions comprising a plurality of piezoelectric particles and a polymer material comprising at least one thermoplastic polymer and at least one photocurable polymer precursor. The at least one photocurable polymer precursor may undergo a reaction in the presence of electromagnetic radiation, optionally undergoing a reaction with the piezoelectric particles, in the course of forming the printed part. The piezoelectric particles may be mixed with the polymer material and remain substantially non-agglomerated when combined with the polymer material. The compositions may define a form factor such as a composite filament, a composite pellet, or an extrudable composite paste, which may be utilized in forming printed parts by extrusion and layer-by-layer deposition, followed by curing.

Parts made by additive manufacturing are often structural in nature, rather than having functional properties conveyed by a polymer or other component present therein. Printed parts having piezoelectric properties may be formed using compositions comprising a polymer matrix comprising a first polymer material and a second polymer material that are immiscible with each other, and a plurality of piezoelectric particles substantially localized in one of the first polymer material or the second polymer material. The piezoelectric particles may remain substantially non-agglomerated when combined with the polymer matrix. The compositions may define a form factor such as a composite filament, a composite pellet, or an extrudable composite paste. Additive manufacturing processes using the compositions may comprise forming a printed part by depositing the compositions layer-by-layer.

Parts made by additive manufacturing are often structural in nature, rather than having functional properties conveyed by a polymer or other component present therein. Printed parts having piezoelectric properties may be formed using compositions that are extrudable and comprise a plurality of piezoelectric particles and a plurality of carbon nanomaterials dispersed in at least a portion of a polymer material. The piezoelectric particles may remain substantially non-agglomerated when combined with the polymer material. The polymer material may comprise at least one thermoplastic polymer, optionally further containing at least one polymer precursor. The compositions may define an extrudable material that is a composite having a form factor such as a composite filament, a composite pellet, a composite powder, or a composite paste. Additive manufacturing processes using the compositions may comprise forming a printed part by depositing the compositions layer-by-layer.

A resin composition contains a poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) resin component, and the poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) resin component includes a copolymer (A) which is a copolymer of 3-hydroxybutyrate units and other hydroxyalkanoate units and in which the content of the other hydroxyalkanoate units is from 1 to 6 mol % and a copolymer (B) which is a copolymer of 3-hydroxybutyrate units and other hydroxyalkanoate units and in which the content of the other hydroxyalkanoate units is 24 mol % or more. The resin composition further contains a layered clay mineral (C). The proportion of the copolymer (A) is from 72 to 93 wt %, and the proportion of the copolymer (B) is from 7 to 28 wt %. The amount of the layered clay mineral (C) is from 5 to 45 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the total poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) resin component.

This disclosure relates to a material set including a build material for 3-D printing including particles of a polymer comprising polymer chains having at least one reactive group that is protected with a protecting group. The material set further includes an inkjet composition including a de-protecting agent for removal of the protecting group, and a liquid carrier.

A resin composition for injection molding contains a poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) resin. The poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) resin includes at least one copolymer of 3-hydroxybutyrate units and other hydroxyalkanoate units. The average content of the 3-hydroxybutyrate units in the poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) resin is from 92 to 99 mol %. The polystyrene-equivalent weight-average molecular weight of the poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) resin, as measured by gel permeation chromatography using a chloroform solvent, is from 21×10.sup.4 to 38×10.sup.4. In a weight molecular weight distribution of the poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) resin, the proportion of a component having a weight molecular weight of 20×10.sup.4 or less is from 35 to 60 wt %.