A method of bonding together surfaces of two or more elements. The method includes the steps of providing two or more elements, applying an adhesive to one or more of the surfaces to be bonded together before, during or after contacting the surfaces to be bonded together with each other, and curing the adhesive, wherein the adhesive comprises at least one hydrocolloid.

The present disclosure is directed to examples of housing for a luminaire. In one example, the housing includes a bioplastic base formed to receive a light emitting diode and a driver and a lens coupled to the bioplastic base. The bioplastic base may include a bioplastic and is formed with a non-biodegradable or a biodegradable plastic.

Formation of low-crystallinity curcumin nanoparticles via controlled supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO.sub.2) impregnation of curcumin into biodegradable nanoporous starch aerogels and methods of preparing these aerogels are disclosed. The nanoporous starch aerogels increase water solubility and bioaccessibility of the curcumin, thereby making them available for preparation of high nutraceutical value foods.

The present invention relates to the use of an amine compound comprising at least one, preferably at least two amine functions, wherein the amine functions are primary or secondary amines, to reduce the level of furfural and/or hydroxymethylfurfural in a carbohydrate-based binder or binder composition and/or escaping in the course of preparation, cross-linking and/or curing of carbohydrate-based binders. Preferably, the carbohydrate-based binder is obtained from a carbohydrate-based binder composition comprising a carbohydrate component and a cross-linker and possibly reaction product of carbohydrate component and cross-linker, wherein the cross-linker is selected from ammonium salts of inorganic acid, carboxylic acids, salts, ester or anhydride derivatives thereof, and/or combinations thereof.

The present invention relates to a composition for use as an adhesive, paint, coating, resin, (surface) size, composite, gel or hydrogel, said composition comprising microfibrillated cellulose (“MFC”). In addition to microfibrillated cellulose, these compositions comprise at least one solvent, said solvent preferably comprising or consisting of water, and at least one compound that is (a) capable of polymerizing, or has already partly or fully, polymerized, and that (b) has at least two groups available for hydrogen bonding, preferably OH groups, that are capable of crosslinking with at least one functional group of the microfibrillated cellulose. In these compositions, the microfibrillated cellulose primarily functions as a crosslinking agent (while it is by no means excluded that the microfibrillated cellulose additionally has other functionalities, such as acting as viscosity modifier and/or thixotropic additive), integrating the compound that (a) is capable of polymerizing or that has already partly or fully, polymerized, and that (b) has at least two groups available for hydrogen bonding, into a gel-like three-dimensional network.

The invention relates to an aqueous binder composition for mineral fibers comprising at least one polyelectrolytic hydrocolloid.

A plastic pro-biodegradation additive includes a carrier polymer and a nanostarch compound. The nanostarch compound can include nanostarch with a particle size in a range of about 40 to about 500 nm. The nanostarch compound can include small-size and/or large-size regular starch. The carrier polymer can be a biodegradable polymer. The additive can include: a polysaccharide; an organic filler; one or more of a monosaccharide, a disaccharide and an oligosaccharide; a surfactant; and/or an inorganic filler. The carrier polymer can include a non-biodegradable polymer. Biodegradable plastic compositions and methods of preparing a biodegradable plastic material are also disclosed.

Disclosed are a protective starch-based film and its preparation method and application, belonging to the field of food packaging. According to the method for preparing the protective starch-based film, surfaces of zinc oxide nanoparticles are enabled to adsorb tannic acid and iron ions under the action of metal coordination by controlling the pH to obtain metallic polyphenol network coated zinc oxide nanoparticles, dispersion of the obtained nanoparticles is added to a starch gelatinization solution, and a melanin-like precursor is simultaneously added to form mixed liquid; and by controlling the pH of the mixed solution, π-π stacking, self-polymerization and metal coordination are induced, so that a stable protective starch-based film with a nano-reinforced interpenetrating network structure is formed. The method is simple, green, pollution-free and energy-saving, and the prepared starch-based degradable film has remarkable ultraviolet-shielding, mechanical and antibacterial properties, thus having wide application prospects in the field of food packaging.

An insoluble foam composite material is formed by a mixture combining an anionic polysaccharide, a cationic polysaccharide, a solvent, and a plasticizer. In particular, the composite material can be prepared by heating, freezing and lyophilizing the mixture to produce, for example, insoluble porous foam-like composites.

A process for manufacturing a tubular film such as an edible casing film or a packaging film. The process includes the steps of providing a preblended powder composition containing a polymer matrix, a plasticizer, and water; feeding the preblended powder composition to an extruder; heating the preblended powder composition to a temperature above 100 degrees Celsius for a sufficient time to fully hydrate the polymer matrix and to convert the powder composition to a flowable mass; and extruding the flowable mass through a tubular die of the extruder to form the tubular film. The tubular film comprises: about 40-75 wt % polymer matrix; about 10-35 wt % plasticizer; and about 10-35 wt % water. The polymer matrix component is fully hydrated under the temperature, pressure and shear conditions inside the extruder, and may have a component which is only fully hydrated at temperatures above about 100 degrees Celsius.