OA20357A - Process for the manufacture of an ecological isothermal bag based on extracts of shrimp shells (Chitosan) and cassava starch and dried wood chips - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an ecological insulated bag based on extracts of shrimp shells, cassava starch and dried wood shavings. The insulated bag is generally used for transporting fragile medicines and meals. But these bags are made from synthetic materials such as polyester and polyethylene. However, these materials can be replaced by natural insulators. It is with this in mind that this invention was developed. The main concern is to valorize the wood shavings, associated with extracts of shrimp shells and cassava starch to make marketable products. The insulated bag obtained through this process makes it possible to preserve and transport food as well as medicines and vaccines. In addition, the method of manufacturing the bag contributes to solving a problem of accumulation of waste which harms the environment and the survival of the planet.

Description

I.INTRODUCTION

The present invention relates to a process for manufacturing an ecological insulated bag based on extracts of shrimp shells (chitosan), cassava starch and dried wood chips.

Wood industry residues (sawdust, shavings, etc.) and waste from the exploitation of fishery resources (shrimp shell) are sources of pollution for the environment. As this waste decomposes or is consumed, it emits CO2, the accumulation of which in the atmosphere reinforces the phenomenon of greenhouse effects and contributes to soil and subsoil pollution. In order to limit these emissions and reduce the pollution of the environment, it is advisable to recycle these wastes which can be used for the manufacture of the insulating materials used in the production of isothermal bags which can be used for the preservation of food and other heat-sensitive samples. These types of bags can be taken everywhere, they make it easy to transport a meal, a snack or drinks or even biological samples for shipment depending on its capacity, shape and size. They keep food and drinks hot and cold at the desired temperature.

The particularity of our process for obtaining isothermal bags is the fact of using natural binders based on variably formulated polysaccharides in order to ensure the cohesion of the wood chips and to obtain competitive biosourced materials for their thermal, mechanical and environmental performance. . These are therefore bags 20 synthesized from biological materials, which makes it possible to provide a solution for the recovery of by-products from forest and fish biomass and the exploitation of this non-food waste for the manufacture of biobased materials.

Nowadays, in addition to its practicality for dropping off lunch at the office or for a convivial picnic, it is also a medium for sustainable ecological communication. The cooler bag is distinguished by its inner lining consisting of layers of insulating material. These insulate the food from the outside temperatures (hot/cold).

This bag therefore perfectly illustrates a sustainable development approach in the health, safety and environment policy in companies by offering employees an insulated bag for their lunch. This new solution is a gesture for the environment by limiting the waste associated with multiple food packaging. The same applies to its use for the transport of biological samples which are transported from the sampling sites to the analysis sites under temperature constraints. Indeed, these are transported under refrigeration conditions in order to preserve the physicochemical structure and the properties of the sample.

II. STATE OF THE ART

A cooler bag (or isothermal bag) is a bag, often made up of three layers: an inner layer of polyethylene suitable for food contact, an intermediate layer composed of closed-cell polyethylene foam, an outer layer composed of a polyester/polyethylene complex often silver in color, or printed or white polyethylene. In order to add added value to the recovery of wood chips and shrimp shells which are sufficiently available, it was interesting to think of producing biodegradable insulating materials whose direct application is the manufacture of isothermal bags which respect the environment. environment and which are necessary for the transport and preservation of hot foods over time.

In terms of scientific research, isothermal bags and their manufacturing process have been the subject of several studies. Related patent applications have been filed with various intellectual property offices. Each of these applications uses the manufacturing technique of said bags in a particular way. We have retained within the framework of the state of the art of the present invention, some of the most significant and most recent applications which we present briefly. It is :

The patent application of the European Patent Office (EPO) n° 18735622, of 04.04.2018, published under number 3608258 dated 02.12.2020 relating to Insulated bag that can be filled and frozen and process for obtaining it -this . This application has for inventors LAZARO FERRE and FRANCISCO JAVIER. It was filed by LAZARO FERRE FRANCISCO JAVIER, BERTIN CATHERINE, LAZARO BERTIN VICTOR, LAZARO BERTIN OSCAR. This invention relates to an isothermal bag which can be filled and frozen 5 which comprises two plastic bags and a thermal insulation of expanded polyethylene inserted between the two bags and, comprising plastic handles fixed by thermal welding, the two bags being connected to each other by a thermal welding line, in which an opening is provided for the introduction of a mixture of water and alcohol, the opening presenting a sheet of complex plastic which has a face of

LO polyethylene and a polyester face, the polyester face having a water-resistant and tamper-evident closure means for closing the opening.

International application PCT/FR2007/000975, of 06.13.2007, published under number WO/2008/000927 dated 01.03.2008 relating to Isothermal bag. This application has as inventors LABRANQUE Gilles, BAILLEUL Vincent, TOFANI Dario, TOFANI Luciano. It was deposited by PONTET, Bernard. This invention relates to an insulating bag comprising an outer pocket and an inner pocket fixed to one another, said outer pocket comprising an opening and a bottom, said bottom being disposed opposite said opening, said pockets defining between them, each side of the internal pocket, a housing for a heat accumulator, the interior of the internal pocket defining a storage zone for a content of the bag, characterized in that the internal pocket comprises holding means for positioning said content at distance from said bottom of the outer pocket. Such a bag is particularly suitable for the individual transport of medicines.

EPO patent application EP84420171A, dated 10.04.1984, published under number EP0138725A2 dated 24.04.1985 relating to Isothermal transport bag. This application 25 has the inventors MANTHE MICHEL and MOGLIA BRUNO. It was filed by APPLIC GAZ SA France. One of the walls of said bag according to the invention comprises a flap which is pressed against its face located opposite the other wall. A crosspiece carrying a handle is held prisoner in a hem constituting the connection between the flap and the face. This flap has a slit very close to the weld line which forms the hem. The second wall of the bag is provided with a free upper edge associated with a suspension system comprising a strip welded to said free edge and a hook. The free part or flap of the wall is engaged in the pocket and the hook passes through the slot to overlap the crosspiece in the interior space of the handle.

Patent application FR3091269, of 26.12.2018, published under number 3091269 dated 03.07.2020 relating to Isothermal device made of natural fibers. This application has as inventors DUCROCQ FRANÇOIS and HUYNH THI KIM THOA. It was filed by HUYNH THI KIM THOA and DUCROCQ FRANÇOIS. Said invention is a portable isothermal device, which comprises an isothermal bag for receiving products to be kept cool during their transport in said bag, the bag being made of an essentially insulating material for heat and this bag extending, by a wall , between a top comprising a link for holding said bag with one hand and a bottom for supporting products to be kept cool, which flattens when receiving heat-sensitive products, which comprises a flexible cooling bag above said products and which is characterized in that it comprises a V-shaped reduction means for the purpose of obtaining an easy flattening.

It clearly appears in view of this research on the state of the art that the technique and the manufacturing processes of isothermal bags are not new. But we note all the same that the seniority of this technique is relatively recent. According to the Wikipedia site, it is estimated that the concept of the insulated bag was officially registered in 1983 by INGRID KOSAR (Illinois, United States). In 1984, DOMINO'S PIZZA used the insulated bag for the first time to deliver hot pizzas to its customers. The product was quickly adopted by the American state. Related contracts were signed with the army in 1985, and House staff began using it in 1987. In 1993, during a space mission, NASA embarked the first insulated bag in space.

Since then, the manufacture and use of cooler bags has spread to the four corners of the globe, with innovators adding their own distinctive touch from time to time.

The isothermal bag as well as the method of manufacture which is the subject of the present invention differs from the others because it makes use of materials which have not yet been explored in the manufacture of said bags. It is the combination of shrimp shell extracts also called chitosan, cassava starch and dried wood chips.

III. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The process of making an eco-friendly cooler bag based on extracts of shrimp shells, cassava starch and dried wood chips is done in several steps. First of all it is a question of making a pre-treatment of the wood chips and the shells of the shrimps, then proceeding to the extraction of the chitosan and the cassava starch, finally mixing the three constituents according to well-defined proportions.

III.1. Detailed description of the invention

To obtain the biodegradable insulating material, one proceeds by a succession of stages which defines the order of evolution of the product, from the initial stage to the final stage. Thus, the process comprises the following steps: obtaining chitosan, obtaining cassava starch and obtaining fibers from wood chips, through appropriate methods.

III.1.1. Obtaining fibers from wood chips

Once the wood waste has been obtained, the following steps are carried out:

- Drying: it consists in eliminating the water contained in the wood chips in order to facilitate the shredding. This operation is done for eight days in the sun until the mass of chips remains constant;

- Manual shredding: this consists in reducing the size of the wood shavings by the action of the hands when a shredder is not available;

- Sifting: this is done using sieves of different meshes in order to obtain the ideal size of the shredded wood chips;

Vacuum packaging: This operation consists of putting the wood chips obtained in a bag and creating a vacuum (removing the air it contains) while sealing it permanently to prevent them from absorbing moisture from the air. 'air.

III.1.2. The other manufacturing steps of the insulated bag

The other steps before obtaining the insulated bag are:

- The dissolution of 25 g of chitosan in 750 ml of acetic acid for 2 hours then sieved;

- The dissolution of 75 g of cassava starch in distilled water then sieved;

Adding 5 ml of glycerol;

- Put on the hot plate for 20 min; temperature between 70°C and 80°C, always stir the mixture over the fire;

Adding 100g of wood chips, then the mixture is stirred;

Filling the glass molds when the mixture is still hot;

- placing in an oven at 80°C for 24 hours then demoulding;

Obtaining the insulating material;

The insertion of the insulating materials obtained in the sewn bags;

Obtaining insulated bags.

III.2. The synthetic diagram of the manufacturing process of an insulated bag

See figure: Manufacturing process for insulated bags

The entire process for manufacturing the insulated bag that is the subject of the present invention is summarized in the figure below (see plate). It describes the process for obtaining said bags from insulating materials.

III.3. The merits of invention

The ecological insulated bag that is the subject of the present invention makes it possible to transport heat-sensitive foods or pharmaceutical products for longer while minimizing the risk of breaking the cold chain. Any ordinary bag could not withstand or maintain a certain temperature. If a cold item is stored it will drop to room temperature and any hot item will also stay at room temperature. This is the reason why we choose to resort to the use of insulated bags. Furthermore, said bags are chosen because in the long run they are economical unlike other single-use bags such as bags made of plastic material. In addition, the ecological isothermal bags contribute significantly to reducing the carbon footprint on the planet insofar as, in the process of their manufacture, we use waste that would have been found in nature.

Claims (1)

i. Process for the manufacture of an ecological insulated bag based on extracts of shrimp shells, cassava starch and dried wood chips, characterized in that it mainly comprises the following steps: pretreatment of the wood chips, mixing wood chips with chitosan and cassava starch, obtaining the insulating material, introducing the insulating plates into the sewn bags, obtaining the insulated bags. ii. Process for the manufacture of an ecological insulated bag based on extracts of shrimp shells, cassava starch and dried wood chips, characterized according to claim 1, characterized in that the heating of the mixture of cassava starch , wood chip and chitosan is done at a temperature between 70-80 ° C with stirring for 20 minutes. iii. The ecological insulated bag obtained according to the method described in claims 1 and 2. iv. Ecological isothermal bag obtained according to Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that it can be used for the purposes of preserving and transporting foodstuffs, medicines, biological samples and vaccines.