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.

Provided is a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) resin tube including a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) resin, the tube having a wall thickness of 0.1 to 0.6 mm. The difference between the melting point peak temperature and the melting point peak end temperature in differential scanning calorimetry analysis of the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) resin is preferably 10° C. or higher. Preferably, production of the tube includes the step of melting a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) resin in an extruder, then extruding the resin from an annular die, and introducing the resin into water, the annular die temperature being set to a temperature between the melting point peak temperature and the melting point peak end temperature in differential scanning calorimetry analysis of the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) resin.

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.

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.

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 resin tube contains: a poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) resin (A) including at least one copolymer of 3-hydroxybutyrate units and other hydroxyalkanoate units; and a reaction product (B) of a poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) resin (b1) and an organic peroxide (b2), the poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) resin (b1) including at least one copolymer of 3-hydroxybutyrate units and other hydroxyalkanoate units. The poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) resin (b1) includes a copolymer (b1-1) in which a content of the other hydroxyalkanoate units is from 1 to 6 mol % and/or a copolymer (b1-2) in which a content of the other hydroxyalkanoate units is from 24 to 99 mol %. The proportion of the poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) resin (A) is from 20 to 99 wt % and the proportion of the reaction product (B) is from 1 to 80 wt % in the total amount of the poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) resin (A) and the reaction product (B).

Provided is a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) resin tube including a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) resin, the tube having a wall thickness of 0.1 to 0.6 mm. The difference between the melting point peak temperature and the melting point peak end temperature in differential scanning calorimetry analysis of the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) resin is preferably 10 C. or higher. Preferably, production of the tube includes the step of melting a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) resin in an extruder, then extruding the resin from an annular die, and introducing the resin into water, the annular die temperature being set to a temperature between the melting point peak temperature and the melting point peak end temperature in differential scanning calorimetry analysis of the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) resin.

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.