A feeding spout for use with a food package includes a hollow tubular portion integrally connected to a threaded collar portion. The hollow tubular portion has a tube wall, an open end, and a closed end. The tube wall has two or more slits therethrough, the slits being offset from the closed end. Containers and pouches utilizing the feeding spout are also disclosed, along with kits containing same. In addition, methods of producing the feeding spout and pouches and packaged products utilizing the feeding spout are disclosed.

Molded foam articles are provided. The molded foam articles are formed from polylactic acid and are capable of a number of post-processing or secondary uses. Forming the molded foam articles from polylactic acid advantageously extend the life of the molded bead foam article by permitting users to cut, heat, adhere, modify, and repurpose the molded foam articles.

Planters are provided. The planters include one or more molded foam articles that are formed from polylactic acid. Forming the molded foam articles from polylactic acid advantageously enables air and water transport through the walls of the planter, reduces the overall weight of the planter, enables highly customizable shapes and sizes of planters, and enables compostability of the planter.

Methods of forming polymeric foams are provided. The methods may involve co-extruding a foam layer along with one or more skin layers. In some embodiments, the skin layer(s) may be removed (e.g., in a peeling operation); while, in other embodiments, the skin layer(s) may form part of the final article. The methods are particularly well suited for producing polymeric foams from polymeric materials that are considered to be difficult to foam by those of skill in the art.

Techniques are disclosed for modifying the acoustic signature of plastic structures. An example structure implementing the techniques includes an inner wall forming an inner shell of the structure, the inner wall having a first edge and a second edge opposing the first edge, and an outer wall forming an outer shell of the structure, the outer wall having a first edge and a second edge opposing the first edge. The structure also includes an upper wall member joining the first edge of the inner wall to the first edge of the outer wall and a lower wall member joining the second edge of the inner wall to the second edge of the outer wall to form a wall cavity, an infill structure within the wall cavity, and at least two holes in the structure providing an opening from an exterior of the structure to the wall cavity.

Disclosed herein are biomaterials that include a plurality of fibers embedded in a matrix of hydrogel material. The plurality of fibers and hydrogel material are formed during one process step. In one embodiment, the plurality of fibers and hydrogel materials are formed using a multilayer coextrusion process step. Additional process steps can be performed to form a tissue engineering scaffold. Such a scaffold can be used to grow biological matter. In one embodiment, stem cells are applied to the scaffold to grow biological material. Process steps can be controlled to determine certain mechanical properties of the resulting biomaterial. In one embodiment, the process steps are controlled to determine the stiffness of the resulting biomaterial. In such an embodiment, the stiffness of the resulting biological material determines physical properties of the biological material grown on the scaffold.

Described is a method for the preparation of an article, in particular a biodegradable article, from a thermoplastic composition comprising starch by thermoforming, comprising the steps of providing a sheet of the thermoplastic composition in rubber phase at a temperature of at least 100 C., stretching the sheet into or onto a mould, cooling the sheet to form the article, remove the article from the mould, wherein the mould in step b has a temperature of 5 C. or less, the sheet in step c is cooled to a temperature of 40 C. or less, steps b and c being performed in 10 s or less. Further, a thermoformed article, obtainable by the said method and the use of such an article is described.

Novel structural materials composed of industrial hemp fiber with recycled high density polyethylene (HDPE) as well as methods for the production of the same are disclosed. The material's mechanical strength outperforms that of conventional lumber and could compete with glass fiber reinforced composites, particularly in tensile strength. In addition, this material offers many other significant advantages including insect free, high moisture resistance, no harmful chemical treatments, and no rapid corrosion in water environments.

Disclosed herein are biomaterials that include a plurality of fibers embedded in a matrix of hydrogel material. The plurality of fibers and hydrogel material are formed during one process step. In one embodiment, the plurality of fibers and hydrogel materials are formed using a multilayer coextrusion process step. Additional process steps can be performed to form a tissue engineering scaffold. Such a scaffold can be used to grow biological matter. In one embodiment, stem cells are applied to the scaffold to grow biological material. Process steps can be controlled to determine certain mechanical properties of the resulting biomaterial. In one embodiment, the process steps are controlled to determine the stiffness of the resulting biomaterial. In such an embodiment, the stiffness of the resulting biological material determines physical properties of the biological material grown on the scaffold.