BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to plastic modifying compositions useful for the manufacture of plastic products that are typically used in injection molding, sheet/film manufacturing and a variety of other intermediate and final plastic products and methods of manufacture. Also provided are enhanced carbonate compositions comprising at least one carbonate and at least one carbonate enhancing composition, also provided for herein, useful for the manufacture/preparation of a variety of materials including, without limitation, rubber, sealants, adhesives, inks, pharmaceuticals, nutritional supplements and other products described herein.

Polypropylene, polyethylene and polystyrene are classes of plastics, formed into plastic products that frequently carry the name of the class of plastic used in the respective formation. Each type of plastic product from these classes of plastic has certain characteristics and traditional and specific uses depending upon the desired attributes of the intended product. More specifically, the type of plastic prepared by the compositions of the present invention are not limited by those recited herein. For example and without limitation, the plastic modifying compositions of the present invention, when used for plastic product preparation, can include the polyolefins including, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene and ethyl vinyl acetate, and polystearate.

Generally, each type of plastic is formed by using a substrate (e.g., polypropylene, polyethylene or polystyrene) and a specific level of fill material (e.g., calcium carbonate, talc, clay material such as kaolin and montmorillonite, and the like) forming a ratio of substrate and fill material useful for the desired product. Although other additives can be added for color and other desired attributes, it is generally the ratio of substrate and fill material that influences the cost of the plastic used in, for example and without limitation, injection molding and the character of the mixture in terms of smoothness, consistency and the level of impurities, frequently in the form of gapped air or air occlusions. Such impurities cause inconsistency in the substrate-fill material blend, causing flaws and weaknesses in the resulting plastic.

Moreover, the addition of fill material can reduce the cost of plastic blends as fill material costs substantially less than the plastic substrate to which the fill material is added. However, there are limitations with the amount of fill material that can be added to a blend wherein brittleness, less-than-optimal tensile strength and/or Young's modulus, weak points, varying thickness, incomplete fill of injection molds, color variations and other imperfections can result in the desired plastic product. Accordingly, one or more additives that can address these and other issues in the preparation of the fill material and/or formation of polypropylene, polyethylene and polystyrene plastics would be beneficial to the plastics industries.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present invention provides a plastic modifying, sodium hydroxide, copper sulfate and at least one surfactant selected from the group selected from non-ionic surfactants and anionic surfactants.

An additional aspect of the present invention provides a plastic modifying composition, including aqueous plastic modifying compositions, comprising an aqueous phase comprising a solubility enhancing aqueous composition wherein 1 part of a first solution is added to about 15 to about 20 parts of water to form a second solution; a sodium hydroxide solution having a concentration of about 5% to about 7.5% volume/volume of the total aqueous phase volume of the composition; at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of non-ionic surfactants and anionic surfactants having a concentration from about 0.05 percent to about 0.15 percent volume/volume of the total aqueous phase volume of the composition; and copper sulfate having a concentration from about 20 percent to about 26 percent mass/volume of the total aqueous phase volume of the composition, optionally comprising the addition of at least one acid or at least one base to adjust the final composition pH to a pH of about 2.5 to about 3.5.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a plastic modifying composition, including aqueous plastic modifying compositions, comprising an aqueous phase comprising a solubility enhancing aqueous composition wherein 1 part of a first solution is added to about 15 to about 20 parts of water to form a second solution; a sodium hydroxide solution having a concentration of about 5% to about 7.5% volume/volume of the total aqueous phase volume of the composition; and copper sulfate having a concentration from about 20 percent to about 26 percent mass/volume of the total aqueous phase volume of the composition, optionally comprising the addition of at least one acid or at least one base to adjust the final composition pH to a pH of about 2.5 to about 3.5.

An additional aspect of the present invention is a plastic forming mixture comprising at least one plastic substrate, at least one fill material and a plastic modifying composition of the present invention wherein the fill material concentration is, for example and without limitation at least 5 percent, at least 10 percent or at least 20 percent weight/weight of the total composition comprising plastic substrate and fill material. Fill material may be increased up to about 80%.

Other aspects of the present invention provide a variety of methods of using a plastic modifying composition of the present invention to form plastic forming mixtures and plastics having particular attributes and characteristics, each of which are further described herein below.

One aspect of the present invention provides a carbonate enhanced composition comprising at least one carbonate and at least one carbonate enhancing composition, which also represents another aspect of the present invention.

Other aspects of the present invention provide a variety of methods of using a carbonate enhanced composition of the present invention to a variety of intermediate and final products as further described herein below.

An additional aspect of the present invention provides a carbonate enhancing composition comprising an aqueous phase comprising a solubility enhancing aqueous composition wherein 1 part of a first solution is added to about 15 to about 20 parts of water to form a second solution; sodium hydroxide solution having a concentration of about 5% to about 7.5% volume/volume of the total aqueous phase volume of the composition; at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of non-ionic surfactants and anionic surfactants having a concentration from about 0.05 percent to about 0.15 percent volume/volume of the total aqueous phase volume of the composition; and copper sulfate having a concentration from about 20 percent to about 26 percent mass/volume of the total aqueous phase volume of the composition, optionally comprising the addition of at least one acid or at least one base to adjust the final composition pH to a pH of about 2.5 to about 3.5.

Another aspect of the present invention provides an carbonate enhancing composition comprising an aqueous phase comprising a solubility enhancing aqueous composition wherein 1 part of a first solution is added to about 15 to about 20 parts of water to form a second solution and sodium hydroxide solution having a concentration of about 5% to about 7.5% volume/volume of the total aqueous phase volume of the composition; and copper sulfate having a concentration from about 20 percent to about 26 percent mass/volume of the total aqueous phase volume of the composition, optionally comprising the addition of at least one acid or at least one base to adjust the final composition pH to a pH of about 2.5 to about 3.5.

An additional aspect of the present invention provides an antimicrobial composition comprising at least one composition selected from the group consisting of at least one carbonate enhanced composition and at least one carbonate enhancing composition, wherein the carbonate enhancing composition is optionally aqueous.

A further aspect of the present invention provides a product requiring at least one carbonate as an element in the manufacture thereof comprising at least, in part, at least one carbonate enhanced composition used in the manufacture of such product.

An additional aspect of the present invention provides an antimicrobial composition comprising at least one carbonate enhanced composition.

