A sustainable sealed package includes a biofoam molded tray and a paperboard substrate. The biofoam molded tray includes a circumferential flange defining an opening to an interior cavity of the biofoam molded tray. A heat sealing layer is on a first major side of a paperboard substrate. The heat sealing layer is sealed to the circumferential flange of the biofoam molded tray.

Starch-based packaging material and methods for making the material are described. The starch-based packaging material can comprise layers of expanded starch with a cellulosic web disposed between the layers. The expanded starch can be formed by extruding starch with water which acts as an expanding agent and causes the starch to expand resulting in an extrudate having a density of no more than about 5 lbs/ft.sup.3. An apparatus and methods for post-processing the expanded starch are described wherein the expanded starch is extruded as a tube that enters a funnel and is advanced forward by forced air. The tube passes over a blade where the tube is slit and subsequently opened up into a sheet by a second supply of forced air. The sheet then exits the funnel and can be calendered as well as stacked with subsequent lamination.

A scrubbing article including a substrate and a texture layer. The texture layer is formed on at least one surface of the substrate, and is a solvent-free texture layer. The texture layer can include a plastisol ink or a hot melt adhesive, and may further include a plurality of ceramic microspheres. Methods of manufacture are also provided in which a solvent-free texture layer composition is applied to a substrate and then solidified to form a texture layer. In some non-limiting embodiments, the texture layer composition includes a hot melt adhesive and is applied to the substrate in the form of a wetted cellulose sponge.

A composite material includes a porous foam, having a density of less than 1 g/cm.sup.3, with a polymer matrix including chitosan, chitin, or chitosan oligosaccharide, and a first laminate adhered to a first surface of the porous foam.

A thermal protection barrier including a base layer having a high melting temperature granular media having free standing granules disposed within the base layer and a distributor grid layer having a plurality of spaced-apart distributors composed of a high melting temperature material disposed adjacent to the base layer. The spaced-apart distributors are dimensioned and configured to provide load bearing support to the thermal protection barrier prior to a breach of the thermal protection barrier and to divide and disperse a superheated flowing mass to the free standing granules of the base layer upon occurrence of a breach. In certain embodiments, the thermal protection barrier is positioned adjacent to a nuclear system such that, upon occurrence of a loss of containment accident, the distributor grid layer is positioned and configured to divide and disperse a superheated flowing nuclear mass to the free standing granules.

A sustainable sealed package includes a biofoam molded tray and a paperboard substrate. The biofoam molded tray includes a circumferential flange defining an opening to an interior cavity of the biofoam molded tray. A heat sealing layer is on a first major side of a paperboard substrate. The heat sealing layer is sealed to the circumferential flange of the biofoam molded tray.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing of a laminated cellulose-based liquid or semi-liquid food packaging material, wherein the laminated packaging material has a bulk material layer comprising a low-density cellulose spacer layer, an outside module comprising a substrate layer having a print surface and an inside material module comprising a barrier layer or barrier coating. The invention further relates the laminated packaging materials obtained by the method and to a packaging container for liquid food packaging, comprising the laminated packaging material or being made from the laminated packaging material obtained by the method.

The present invention relates to a cleaning implement that includes a melamine-formaldehyde foam. The melamine-formaldehyde foam includes from about 0.1 to about 5 weight % of at least one linear polymer with a number average molecular weight M.sub.n in the range from 500 to 10,000 g/mol. Additionally the present invention encompasses processes for making and methods for cleaning hard surfaces with a cleaning implement according to the present invention.

A thermal management system for transferring heat from a heat load includes a composite structural member that supports a heat load source and a heat transfer member in thermal contact with the composite structural member, and in thermal contact with a heat sink. The system further includes at least one thermally-conductive first fastener that is in thermal contact with the heat transfer member, couples the heat load source to the composite structural member, and conducts heat from the heat load source into the heat transfer member. The heat transfer member conducts heat from the thermally-conductive first fastener to the heat sink.

A retrofitted window is disclosed which includes a substantially transparent aerogel film laminated on a glass windowpane, the aerogel film being embedded with randomly dispersed nanoparticles of vanadium dioxide (VO.sub.2) core and silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2) shell, wherein the vanadium dioxide (VO.sub.2) core transitions between an insulator phase and a metal phase at a predetermined phase-transition temperature, and a volume fraction of the nanoparticles in the aerogel film is approximately between 0.001% and 0.05%.