US 7,465,770 B2
	Environmentally degradable polymeric compounds their preparation and use as hot melt adhesive
David Neal Lewis, Oldehove (Netherlands); Gerrit Schutte, Hardenberg (Netherlands); Henk Westerhof, Tijnje (Netherlands); Jane Janssen, Emmen (Netherlands); and William E. Kelly, Bailey, Colo. (US)
Assigned to Tate & Lyle Public Limited Company, London (United Kingdom)
Appl. No. 10/469,690 PCT Filed Mar. 04, 2002, PCT No. PCT/NL02/00137 § 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Feb. 27, 2004, PCT Pub. No. WO02/070583, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 12, 2002.
Claims priority of application No. 01200800 (EP), filed on Mar. 02, 2001.
Prior Publication US 2004/0143072 A1, Jul. 22, 2004
Int. Cl. C08G 63/08 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 525—415  [525/411; 528/354; 156/352]

24 Claims

1. A method for producing an environmentally degradable polymeric compound, suitable for use as a hot melt type application, comprising the steps of polycondensating a lactic acid to form a lactic acid comprising polymer, the said lactic acid comprising polymer having a molecular weight in the range of 500 to 50 000 g/mol and comprising at least 95 mol % of groups derived from lactic acid, and coupling said lactic acid comprising polymer to a flexibilizing aliphatic polyester under at least one of condensation and transesterification reaction conditions, wherein the said flexibilizing aliphatic polyester is a polycaprolactone polyol.