CN117999233A

CN117999233A - Beeswax-based container and packaged product

Info

Publication number: CN117999233A
Application number: CN202380013553.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 丽莎·玛丽·乔利
Original assignee: Bigby Box Co ltd
Current assignee: Bigby Box Co ltd
Priority date: 2022-09-06
Filing date: 2023-08-31
Publication date: 2024-05-07
Also published as: WO2024054401A1

Abstract

A biodegradable packaging material and a method of making the same are disclosed. The packaging material is mainly made of beeswax and shellac, and does not contain plastic, fabric or paper layers. The goal is to reuse beeswax waste from residential and commercial honey farms, provide a natural biodegradable alternative to plastic containers and packaging, and to maintain the desirable properties of such containers.

Description

Beeswax-based container and packaged product

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/374,706, filed on 6 at 9 at 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present application relates generally to natural materials suitable for use in the manufacture of biodegradable containers and packages, and in particular to articles comprising beeswax and methods of making the same.

Background

Plastic is one of the most widely used and least expensive materials in the world today. Plastic was originally developed to some extent to alleviate the limitations imposed by the scarcity of natural resources, and plastic has become popular because of its light weight, low cost of production, and ability to be molded into virtually any shape. Plastic containers are commonly found in the beverage and food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

Over time, consumer opinion of plastics becomes less aggressive. There are several factors that affect, including the increasing awareness of the hazards of phthalate and paraben additives and related chemicals, environmental problems such as accumulation of disposable plastics in landfills and oceans, and insufficient plastic recycling opportunities.

This transition has made it necessary to explore environmentally friendly plastic alternatives that provide similar or better performance. For example, natural materials such as wood, bamboo, and cardboard are renewable and degradable. However, such materials still have a significant environmental footprint due to the energy required to plant the raw materials and to manufacture and transport the goods made from such materials. Other natural materials that have recently been developed for use as plastic substitutes include mushroom-based packaging for replacing polystyrene foam, seaweed-based packaging, converting grape waste into imitation leather, and the like. The reuse of organic waste from other industries and the conversion thereof into effective plastic replacement materials is of particular interest, as it has the further advantage of reducing the energy and resources involved in recycling.

Beeswax is a natural wax produced by worker bees that is secreted by the wax producing glands of the abdominal node of bees. The wax is initially transparent and colorless, but becomes opaque and yellow or brown after the addition of pollen, pollen oil and propolis. Bees shape bees into scales for building honeycombs that store honey, young honeycombs that store bees eggs, and burr combs that provide structural support to the honeycombs. About 100 tens of thousands of scales are required to produce about one kilogram of beeswax. It is estimated that one kilogram of beehive beeswax is sufficient to store 22 to 30 kilograms of honey. When beekeepers extract honey, the wax caps of each honeycomb cell are cut away, and the unwanted burred and young honeycomb is either discarded or refined for further use.

Beeswax is edible and, like vegetable waxes, has negligible toxicity. It is insoluble in water and resistant to hydrolysis. Beeswax consists essentially of long chain esters of fatty acids and alcohols. Long chains may be described as carbon chains of at least 12 carbons in length. The components of beeswax include palmitate, palmitoleate, cerotic acid and oleate of C ₃₀-C₃₂ long chain fatty alcohols. Beeswax has a melting point of about 64.5 ℃ (148°f), but becomes soft and pliable between about 35 to 40 ℃ (95 to 104°f) and brittle below 18 ℃ (64°f).

In 2020, global yields of beeswax exceeded 62000 tons. The cosmetic use of beeswax requires high quality beeswax that is pure and free of propolis. Current industrial uses of beeswax include use as lubricants, coatings and wax castings. Beeswax is also used in the manufacture of candles, although as a cheaper alternative, beeswax may generally be combined with or replaced by paraffin. About 20% of the commercially produced beeswax is discarded as waste.

Thus, there is a great need in the industry for acceptable natural organic materials that do not pose environmental problems. There is also increasing interest in reusing natural waste from other industries, such as beehive waste beeswax from honey farms. The present invention aims to meet this need.

Disclosure of Invention

In a first embodiment, disclosed herein is a composition comprising shellac and beeswax, wherein the weight ratio of shellac to beeswax is at least about 0.5 to about 99.5, and wherein the composition does not comprise woven or nonwoven fabric, linen, paper, rubber, pulp or fiber of vegetable origin or starch, hydrocolloid, metal, plastic or other synthetic compounds.

In a second embodiment, disclosed herein is the composition of embodiment 1, wherein the weight ratio of shellac to beeswax is no more than about 5 to about 95.

In a third embodiment, disclosed herein is the composition of embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the beeswax is selected from commercially produced bees wax.

In a fourth embodiment, disclosed herein is a composition of any one of embodiments 1 to 3 consisting only of beeswax and shellac.

In a fifth embodiment, disclosed herein is the composition of any one of embodiments 1 to 3, wherein the composition further comprises at least 1wt% active carbon powder based on the total weight of the composition.

In a sixth embodiment, disclosed herein is the composition of embodiment 5, wherein the composition comprises no more than about 5% by weight of activated carbon powder, based on the total weight of the composition.

In a seventh embodiment, disclosed herein is the composition of any one of embodiments 1-6, further comprising one or more seeds.

In an eighth embodiment, disclosed herein is the composition of embodiment 7, wherein the one or more seeds are selected from lavender, calendula, sunflower, aster, daisy, or a combination thereof.

In a ninth embodiment, disclosed herein is the composition of any one of embodiments 1 to 8, further comprising a coating of shellac, wherein the coating of shellac is at least about 0.5 weight percent of the total weight of the composition.

In a tenth embodiment, disclosed herein is the composition of embodiment 9, wherein the coating of shellac is no more than about 2.5 weight percent of the total weight of the composition.

In an eleventh embodiment, disclosed herein is the composition of embodiment 10, wherein the coating of shellac is about 1.5 weight percent of the total weight of the composition.

In a twelfth embodiment, disclosed herein is a container made from the composition of any one of embodiments 1-11, comprising a can and a lid.

In a thirteenth embodiment, the container of embodiment 12 is disclosed herein, wherein the can and the lid comprise threads for screwing them together to form a seal.

In a fourteenth embodiment, disclosed herein is a method of manufacturing a bee wax-based container, comprising: preparing a liquid composition comprising melting solid beeswax into liquid beeswax and mixing shellac into the melted beeswax to form a liquid composition, wherein the weight ratio of shellac to beeswax is between about 0.5:99.5 to about 5:95; pouring the liquid composition into a mold; waiting for a sufficient time for the liquid composition to cure to a solid composition; and removing the solid composition from the mold.

In a fifteenth embodiment, the method of embodiment 14 is disclosed herein, wherein the step of preparing the liquid composition further comprises mixing activated carbon powder into the liquid composition, wherein the activated carbon powder is from about 1% to about 5% by weight of the total weight of the liquid composition.

In a sixteenth embodiment, the method of embodiment 14 or 15 is disclosed herein, wherein the step of preparing the liquid composition further comprises filtering the liquid composition to remove solids.

In a seventeenth embodiment, the method of any one of embodiments 14-16 is disclosed herein, further comprising coating the solid composition with a coating of shellac, wherein the coating of shellac is about 0.5wt% to about 2.5 wt% of the total weight of the composition.

In an eighteenth embodiment, disclosed herein is the method of any one of embodiments 14-17, further comprising: using a honeycomb die; pouring the liquid composition into the bee-shaped mould; waiting for a time sufficient to allow the liquid composition to cure into a cellular solid composition; removing the bee-shaped solid composition from the bee-shaped mold; and bonding the bee-shaped composition to the container.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of compositions and methods for producing a bee wax-based material that can be used as a plastic substitute are described herein. Such compositions may be molded into containers and packaging materials, which may be suitable for packaging food, cosmetics, and other products.

The compositions disclosed herein include beeswax and shellac. In some embodiments, the composition may further include activated carbon powder to impart color without substantially altering other physical properties of the composition. In some embodiments, the composition does not include woven or nonwoven fabrics, linen, paper, rubber, pulp or fiber of vegetable origin or starch, hydrocolloid, metal or plastic. In some embodiments, the composition consists entirely of beeswax and shellac. In some embodiments, the composition includes beeswax, shellac and other natural ingredients. In some embodiments, the composition does not include any synthetic compounds, such as polytetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, or polyethylene.

In some embodiments, the composition comprises shellac and beeswax in a weight ratio of about 0.5 to about 99.5, about 1 to about 99, about 1.5 to about 98.5, 2 to about 98, 2.5 to about 97.5, 3 to about 97, about 3.5 to about 96.5, about 4 to about 96, about 4.5 to about 95.5, or about 5 to about 95. In some embodiments, the composition further comprises up to about 1%, about 2%, about 3%, about 4%, or about 5% activated carbon powder.

The compositions described herein may be described as imparting heat resistance, water resistance, durability, compostability and/or biodegradability to a molded form comprising the composition. In some embodiments, the composition may impart sufficient strength so that no additional structural additives are required.

In some embodiments, the composition may be molded into a container having a wall thickness of about 1 mm. In other embodiments, the wall thickness may be two or three times this value to provide increased structural integrity and rigidity.

In some embodiments, a product formed from the composition may be embedded in a seed, wherein the seed may grow into a plant when the product is planted in the ground. In some embodiments, the seed embedded in the product may be selected as a plant for promoting pollination of bees. In some embodiments, the seed embedded in the product may be selected from lavender, calendula, sunflower, aster, daisy, or a combination thereof.

The compositions described herein can be used to make products, e.g., containers having a bottom and a top. In some embodiments, the container may be used for packaging or food storage. In some embodiments, the container may be used to package honey. In some embodiments, the container may be used to package a preservative. In some embodiments, the container may be used to package a cosmetic product. In some embodiments, the container may be used to package a liquid. In some embodiments, the container may be used to store honey or beeswax-based materials, which are not intended to be limiting.

Pure beeswax can be melted and molded into a variety of shapes, but still remains soft, is prone to marking or damage, and can only withstand certain operations. In some embodiments, the composition comprises a combination of beeswax and shellac. In some embodiments, the product further comprises an outer layer of shellac. The final article made from the composition provides increased robustness and durability compared to beeswax alone.

In some embodiments, products formed from the compositions can be molded into various shapes, which can impart additional features to the product. For example, in some embodiments, the products described herein may include decorative shapes, such as bees, beehives, flowers, decorative markers, and/or identifying markers. In some embodiments, the decorative shape may be formed by positive space molding, which may be part of a larger design mold, or may be formed separately and attached to another molded part after forming. In other embodiments, the decorative shape may be formed by a negative space mold, which may be part of a larger design mold, may be formed separately and attached to another molded part after forming, and/or may be carved out of the molded product.

In additional embodiments, the decorative shape may impart scannable characteristics to the product, for example, may be an image that can be scanned and identified to guide a user to access a particular web site.

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a method for producing a beeswax-based product. Raw beeswax, which was not processed, was melted into a liquid form in a double pot. Liquid beeswax is removed from the heat source, an amount of shellac is added and mixed into the liquid beeswax to form a liquid composition. Optionally, activated carbon powder is added and mixed into the liquid composition. Optionally, the liquid composition is filtered to remove any solid impurities. The liquid composition was poured into a mold and left at room temperature to cure and dry. The solid composition is removed from the mold and may optionally be further coated with an insect gum layer.

In some embodiments, the weight ratio of shellac to beeswax in the liquid composition is about 0.5 to about 99.5, about 1 to about 99, about 1.5 to about 98.5, about 2 to about 98, about 2.5 to about 97.5, about 3 to about 97, about 3.5 to about 96.5, about 4 to about 96, about 4.5 to about 95.5, or about 5 to about 95.

In some embodiments, the activated carbon powder comprises 0%, up to about 1%, up to about 2%, up to about 3%, up to about 4%, or up to about 5% by weight of the liquid composition of shellac and beeswax.

In some embodiments, the liquid composition has a cure and dry time of about 4 hours, which is not intended to be limiting.

In some embodiments, the coating of shellac is added at a weight percent of 0%, up to about 0.5%, up to about 1%, up to about 1.5%, up to about 2%, or up to about 2.5% of the total weight of the composition.

The molds used to prepare the products from the compositions described herein may include commercially available or custom silicone molds, or molds made from other materials, which are not intended to be limiting. The products prepared from the compositions described herein may include can bottoms and can tops, and may further include can bottoms and can tops that may be sealed by a screw mechanism, which is not intended to be limiting.

As described in the examples below, various evaluations were made of the function of the compositions disclosed herein:

Example 1: durability of

Combinations of beeswax and shellac and combinations of beeswax, shellac and charcoal have been used to form cans having a bottom and a screw top. These cans were opened and closed more than 1000 times, and no change in shape or form or damage to the threads was observed. These cans were dropped from a height of 2 meters (about 6.5 feet) and no change in shape or form or damage was observed.

Example 2: heat resistance

Combinations of beeswax and shellac and combinations of beeswax, shellac and charcoal have been used to form cans having a bottom. These cans were microwave heated at full power for up to two minutes without observed shape or form changes or damage. The combination of shellac and beeswax maintains a similar melting point as beeswax.

Example 3: water resistance

Combinations of beeswax and shellac and combinations of beeswax, shellac and charcoal have been used to form cans having a bottom and a screw top. These cans are partially or completely filled with water. No leakage was found after inverting the can, indicating that the seal was watertight and airtight. The cans partially or fully filled with water were stored for up to 12 months, and no change in the volume of the liquid or change in the shape or form of the cans was observed, indicating water resistance over a period of at least one year.

Example 4: decomposition of

Beeswax and shellac are animal waxes and may take a short two week or two month period for decomposition in a compost bin, garden or landfill. The combination of beeswax and shellac and embedded seeds were buried in the garden for two months and showed similar decomposition rates. As the combination of beeswax and shellac disintegrates, bees are attracted to the area where the combination is buried, and as plants grow from the seeds, more pollinators are attracted to the area where the combination is buried.

Claims

1. A composition comprising shellac and beeswax, wherein the weight ratio of shellac to beeswax is at least about 0.5 to about 99.5, and wherein the composition does not comprise woven or nonwoven fabric, linen, paper, rubber, pulp or fiber of vegetable origin or starch, hydrocolloid, metal, plastic or other synthetic compounds.

2. The composition of claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of shellac to beeswax is no more than about 5 to about 95.

3. The composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the beeswax is selected from commercially produced bees wax.

4. A composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3 consisting of beeswax and shellac only.

5. A composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the composition further comprises at least 1 wt% active carbon powder based on the total weight of the composition.

6. The composition of claim 5, wherein the composition comprises no more than 5 wt% active carbon powder based on the total weight of the composition.

7. The composition of any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising one or more seeds.

8. The composition of claim 7, wherein the one or more seeds are selected from lavender, calendula, sunflower, aster, daisy, or a combination thereof.

9. The composition of any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a coating of shellac, wherein the coating of shellac is at least about 0.5 wt% of the total weight of the composition.

10. The composition of claim 9, wherein the coating of shellac is no more than about 2.5 weight percent of the total weight of the composition.

11. The composition of claim 10, wherein the coating of shellac is about 1.5 weight percent of the total weight of the composition.

12. A container made from the composition of any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising a can and a lid.

13. The container of claim 12, wherein the canister and the cap include threads for screwing the canister and the cap together to form a seal.

14. A method of manufacturing a bee wax-based container, comprising:

Preparing a liquid composition comprising melting solid beeswax into liquid beeswax and mixing shellac into the melted beeswax to form a liquid composition, wherein the weight ratio of shellac to beeswax is between about 0.5:99.5 to about 5:95;

pouring the liquid composition into a mold;

Waiting for a sufficient time for the liquid composition to cure to a solid composition; and

Removing the solid composition from the mold.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of preparing the liquid composition further comprises mixing activated carbon powder into the liquid composition, wherein the activated carbon powder is about 1 wt% to about 5wt% of the total weight of the liquid composition.

16. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the step of preparing the liquid composition further comprises filtering the liquid composition to remove solids.

17. The method of any one of claims 14 to 16, further comprising coating the solid composition with a coating of shellac, wherein the coating of shellac is 0.5 to 2.5 weight percent of the total weight of the composition.

18. The method of any one of claims 14 to 17, further comprising:

Using a honeycomb die;

pouring the liquid composition into the bee-shaped mould;

waiting for a time sufficient to allow the liquid composition to cure into a cellular solid composition;

Removing the bee-shaped solid composition from the bee-shaped mold; and

The bee-shaped composition is coupled to the container.