A drinking straw has an elongated body with a longitudinal flow channel. The user end of the body is closed and rounded for safety. A pair of lateral channels open onto the body adjacent the user end and provide fluid communication to the flow channel. The straw is injection molded, and a mold is provided which accommodates thermal expansion of a rod forming the flow channel. A pair of opposed cavity inserts form the lateral channels. To reduce bending stresses on the rod upon removal of the cavity inserts, one cavity insert is formed longer to the other. This longer cavity insert is removed prior to opening of the mold plates, and as such the straw and rod are supported against bending during this removal.

The invention teaches an environmentally friendly straw and its manufacturing method. The straw includes a tubular body having a through channel inside connecting two openings respectively at two ends of the tubular body, an outer layer surrounding the tubular body between the two openings formed by a leveling machine, an inner layer, as an inner wall of the tubular body, surrounding the channel formed by a honing machine. The straw is manufactured by leveling the tubular body, and honing the channel by a honing machine. As such, a smooth layer between the channel and the tubular body is achieved so that the straw is convenient to clean and use.

Apparatus and methods for manufacturing compostable, biodegradable drink straws from polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material are disclosed herein. Such apparatus may include a hopper that contains raw PHA material, an extruder that receives the raw PHA material from the hopper and produces extruded PHA material, one or more waters baths that cool the extruded PHA material, a puller that pulls a tubular stream of PHA material through the system, and a cutter that is configured to cut the stream of PHA material into finished straws. The finished straws may be soil- and marine-biodegradable, as well as home- and industrial-compostable.

Apparatus and methods for manufacturing compostable, biodegradable drink straws from polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material are disclosed herein. Such apparatus may include a hopper that contains raw PHA material, an extruder that receives the raw PHA material from the hopper and produces extruded PHA material, one or more waters baths that cool the extruded PHA material, a puller that pulls a tubular stream of PHA material through the system, and a cutter that is configured to cut the stream of PHA material into finished straws. The finished straws may be soil- and marine-biodegradable, as well as home- and industrial-compostable.

A method and apparatus for sealing a plastic enclosure is provided. The apparatus includes a handle including elements pivotally coupled together at a first end. The apparatus also includes a pair of spaced apart heating elements positioned along an inner surface of an element and connected to a power source where a longitudinal axis of the heating elements is oriented parallel with a longitudinal axis of the element. Plastic material including first and second plastic layers is positioned at an interface between the second elements. Upon pivoting the first elements from an open position to a closed position the heating elements increase a temperature at the interface to melt the plastic material and form a pair of spaced apart seals between the first and second plastic layers.

A biodegradable drinking straw and a manufacturing method thereof, the biodegradable drinking straw includes: a plant fiber material, which accounts for 5 wt % to 60 wt % of the total weight of the biodegradable drinking straw; and a biodegradable plastic selected from polylactic acid (PLA), polybutylene succinate (PBS) or a combination thereof; the biodegradable plastic accounts for 40 wt % to 95 wt % of the total weight of the biodegradable drinking straw; the fiber material is mixed into the biodegradable plastic and mixed uniformly and then extruded to form a tube body of the biodegradable drinking straw by extrusion molding. By replacing the traditional straw material with plant fibers and biodegradable plastics, the biodegradable drinking straw can be quickly decomposed naturally in the environment after being buried, thus reducing environmental pollution, and meeting the environmental protection requirements.

A biodegradable drinking straw is made of plant fiber powder and at least one polymer. The at least one polymer is polylactide (PLA), polybutylene succinate (PBS), or polypropylene (PP). As an alternative of drinking straws made of traditional plastic materials, the biodegradable drinking straw when buried in landfills can be degraded by microorganisms and decay, eventually becoming a part of the nature again. Besides, the biodegradable drinking straw is made of neither non-petrochemical materials nor silica, so its production avoids excessively consuming the finite resources, thereby being contributive to energy conservation and environmental protection.

Biodegradable drinking straws and methods of making biodegradable drinking straws. The drinking straws are thin and functional, having a tactile feel similar to conventional drinking straws, and are biodegradable in 12 months or less. The drinking straws use less material while maintaining high thickness uniformity, reducing cost and increasing structural integrity.

A composition including a biodegradable resin; a plant-based filler present in an amount of about 20 percent or more based on a total weight of the composition; one or more compatibilizers; and a plasticizer, a lubricant, or both; wherein the composition is configured to be extruded so that the composition forms a wall having a thickness from about 0.1 mm to 0.22 mm.

Apparatus and methods for manufacturing compostable, biodegradable drink straws from polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material are disclosed herein. Such apparatus may include a hopper that contains raw PHA material, an extruder that receives the raw PHA material from the hopper and produces extruded PHA material, one or more waters baths that cool the extruded PHA material, a puller that pulls a tubular stream of PHA material through the system, and a cutter that is configured to cut the stream of PHA material into finished straws. The finished straws may be soil- and marine-biodegradable, as well as home- and industrial-compostable.