A drinking straw has an elongated body with a longitudinal flow channel. The user end of the body is closed and rounded for safety. A pair of lateral channels open onto the body adjacent the user end and provide fluid communication to the flow channel. The straw is injection molded, and a mold is provided which accommodates thermal expansion of a rod forming the flow channel. A pair of opposed cavity inserts form the lateral channels. To reduce bending stresses on the rod upon removal of the cavity inserts, one cavity insert is formed longer to the other. This longer cavity insert is removed prior to opening of the mold plates, and as such the straw and rod are supported against bending during this removal.

It is an object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide: a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)-based resin tube which exhibits excellent resistance to repeated bending; and a method for producing the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)-based resin tube. The object is attained by providing a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)-based resin tube which contains 95 wt % to 60 wt % of a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)-based resin and 5 wt % to 40 wt % of an aliphatic-aromatic polyester-based resin and has an elongation at yield point in a tensile test, a tensile elongation of not less than 50% in the tensile test, and a thickness of 0.01 mm to 0.6 mm.

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.

Biodegradable drinking straws and methods of making biodegradable drinking straws. The drinking straws are thin and functional, having a tactile feel similar to conventional drinking straws, and are biodegradable in 12 months or less. The drinking straws use less material while maintaining high thickness uniformity, reducing cost and increasing structural integrity.

A low cost biodegradable drinking straw comprising structurally non-altered corn starch mixed with one or more than one improver. The improver comprises a biological enzyme preparation and a colloid preparation. The low cost biodegradable drinking straw is made by providing 98% structurally non-altered corn starch mixed with one or more than one improver to make a biodegradable powder. The edible biodegradable powder is formed into a drinking straw shape and extruded to a drinking straw shape. When the extruded drinking straw shapes are cooled, they are cut into an appropriate drinking straw length. The cut drinking straws are then dried and packaged.

Disclosed are a biodegradable material and a preparation method and an application thereof, belong to the technical field of biodegradable materials. The preparation method includes mixing a certain amount of polyhydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate copolymer (PHBV), polylactic acid (PLA), polybutylene adipate-terephthalate (PBAT) and epoxy chain extender or a certain amount of PHBV, PLA, polybutylene succinate (PBS) and epoxy chain extender, twin-screw extruding, cooling and cutting to obtain the biodegradable, green and environmentally friendly drinking straws.

A method and apparatus for sealing a plastic enclosure is provided. The apparatus includes a handle including elements pivotally coupled together at a first end. The apparatus also includes a pair of spaced apart heating elements positioned along an inner surface of an element and connected to a power source where a longitudinal axis of the heating elements is oriented parallel with a longitudinal axis of the element. Plastic material including first and second plastic layers is positioned at an interface between the second elements. Upon pivoting the first elements from an open position to a closed position the heating elements increase a temperature at the interface to melt the plastic material and form a pair of spaced apart seals between the first and second plastic layers.

Example biodegradable tubular members and methods of producing biodegradable tubular members are described. A biodegradable product includes an elongated tubular member. The elongated tubular member includes one or more cellulose esters and a plurality of pores in the tubular member. The plurality of pores are sized and structured in the elongated tubular member to allow permeation or infiltration of at least one of water or bacteria into at least a portion of the plurality of pores and promote biodegradability of the elongated tubular member.

The invention teaches an environmentally friendly straw and its manufacturing method. The straw includes a tubular body having a through channel inside connecting two openings respectively at two ends of the tubular body, an outer layer surrounding the tubular body between the two openings formed by a leveling machine, an inner layer, as an inner wall of the tubular body, surrounding the channel formed by a honing machine. The straw is manufactured by leveling the tubular body, and honing the channel by a honing machine. As such, a smooth layer between the channel and the tubular body is achieved so that the straw is convenient to clean and use.

The invention is characterized in that the straw body (1) is consisting of two or more segments, which are attached together with connection (5) and that the straw body (1) on its both ends has a cross-slit valve (2, 3) closure and the valves (2, 3) and the straw body (1) are integrated by molecular adhesion. The inlet and outlet valves (2, 3) are of a slit type. The straw body (1) is preferably made of a thermoplastic material and the valves (2, 3) are preferably made of elastomer material. The edge of the straw body (1) is shaped to enable larger surface of the connection between the straw body (1) and the valve (2, 3). The said shape is preferably a groove (8). On the wall on the end of the straw body (1) a tongue-shaped groove (9) is formed on the surface side.