The application discloses a method for obtaining polylactic acid (PLA) from cheese whey, which comprises, inter alia, steps of deproteinisation and inoculation, fermentation, separation, polymerisation and drying. The claimed method includes the use of microorganisms such as Lactobacillus delbrueckii and Streptococcus thermophilus. In addition, the separation step includes an adsorption process in a tower packed with activated cationic zeolite, which exchanges H.sup.+ for Ca.sup.+, and the solvent n-pentane is used in said separation step to extract lactic acid, with recovery of 90% of the lactic acid obtained by fermentation.

The application discloses a method for obtaining polylactic acid (PLA) from cheese whey, which comprises, inter alia, steps of deproteinisation and inoculation, fermentation, separation, polymerisation and drying. The claimed method includes the use of microorganisms such as Lactobacillus delbrueckii and Streptococcus thermophilus. In addition, the separation step includes an adsorption process in a tower packed with activated cationic zeolite, which exchanges H.sup.+ for Ca.sup.+, and the solvent n-pentane is used in said separation step to extract lactic acid, with recovery of 90% of the lactic acid obtained by fermentation.

A process is disclosed herein comprising the steps: a) contacting a mixture comprising furandicarboxylic acid dialkyl ester, 1,3-propanediol, a zinc compound, and optionally a poly(alkylene ether) diol, at a temperature in the range of from about 120° C. to about 220° C. to form prepolymer, wherein the mole ratio of the furandicarboxylic acid dialkyl ester to the 1,3-propanediol is in the range of from 1:1.3 to 1:2.2; and b) heating the prepolymer under reduced pressure to a temperature in the range of from about 220° C. to about 260° C. to form polymer. The mixture of step a) can further comprise an anthraquinone compound.

A process is disclosed herein comprising the steps: a) contacting a mixture comprising furandicarboxylic acid dialkyl ester, 1,3-propanediol, a zinc compound, and optionally a poly(alkylene ether) diol, at a temperature in the range of from about 120° C. to about 220° C. to form prepolymer, wherein the mole ratio of the furandicarboxylic acid dialkyl ester to the 1,3-propanediol is in the range of from 1:1.3 to 1:2.2; and b) heating the prepolymer under reduced pressure to a temperature in the range of from about 220° C. to about 260° C. to form polymer. The mixture of step a) can further comprise an anthraquinone compound.

Polymers and copolymers, and systems and methods for processing the same. Advantageously, the polymers and copolymers of the present invention have undergone processing in a falling strand devolatilizer and rotary disk finisher such that a low-cost, low-energy, and high-production-rate product is produced.

Polymers and copolymers, and systems and methods for processing the same. Advantageously, the polymers and copolymers of the present invention have undergone processing in a falling strand devolatilizer and rotary disk finisher such that a low-cost, low-energy, and high-production-rate product is produced.

The present invention relates to the field of devolatilization, and discloses a polylactic acid devolatilization evaporator, which comprises: a container comprising a cylinder; an agitating shaft coaxial with the cylinder; an agitating belt connected to the agitating shaft and arranged in a spiral shape around the central axis of the cylinder, comprising an outer belt surface facing the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder and spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder. With the above technical scheme, the agitating belt makes the materials distributed more uniformly on the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder and form a thin layer in uniform thickness, thereby avoids agglomeration of the materials, facilitates uniform heating of the materials, avoids deterioration (e.g., darkened color) of the materials owing to non-uniform heating of the materials and excessive retention time in a high-temperature environment, and improves product quality.

A process to prepare a (iv) cyclic polyester oligomer composition includes a cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units and two to five repeat units. The process includes (a) reacting a monomer composition including: (i) a bifunctional furan-derivative and (ii) a diol in an linear oligomerization step to produce a (iii) linear oligomer composition including a linear oligomer species, (b) reacting the (iii) linear oligomer composition in a distillation-assisted cyclization (DA-C) step to form a (iv) cyclic polyester oligomer composition and a (v) diol byproduct. The (v) diol byproduct is removed by evaporation in the distillation-assisted cyclization (DA-C) step.

A process to prepare a (iv) cyclic polyester oligomer composition includes a cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units and two to five repeat units. The process includes (a) reacting a monomer composition including: (i) a bifunctional furan-derivative and (ii) a diol in an linear oligomerization step to produce a (iii) linear oligomer composition including a linear oligomer species, (b) reacting the (iii) linear oligomer composition in a distillation-assisted cyclization (DA-C) step to form a (iv) cyclic polyester oligomer composition and a (v) diol byproduct. The (v) diol byproduct is removed by evaporation in the distillation-assisted cyclization (DA-C) step.

A process of providing a medium or high molecular weight polyester powder, the resultant polyester polymer powder, and a powder coating composition that includes such powder; wherein the process includes: providing or forming an ester oligomer; converting the oligomer to a polyester polymer by stirring at elevated pressure and elevated temperature a reaction mixture that includes the oligomer and a nonreactive carrier capable of forming an azeotrope with water and xylenes; removing water from the reaction mixture via azeotropic reflux to provide a syrup including a medium or high molecular weight polyester polymer in the nonreactive carrier; and applying a vacuum to remove the xylenes from the syrup and form a solid (which may be in the form of a powder or subsequently formed into a powder) that includes the medium or high molecular weight polyester polymer.