FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an eco-friendly paper grave candle and its manufacturing process.

TECHNICAL PROBLEM

The inventor aimed to find such a technical solution that will improve the existing grave candle and will meet the following requirements: it will be eco-friendly and primarily without plastic parts, shape and the properties of the product will be acceptable to buyers of traditional products, it will have an improved appearance and will enable improved communication with buyers, the packaging will be suitable for transport, it will ensure stable burning without compromising the walls, the product will be protected from the weather. In addition, the inventor aimed to find a replacement for paraffin in such a way that combustible material from renewable sources is used as much as possible, as well as to find a way how to ensure a longer-lasting burning of the grave candle from the same amount of combustible material.

PRIOR ART

It is not known to the inventor that anyone anywhere in the world has designed a paper grave candle with the properties disclosed in the present invention. Namely, there are paper grave candles that have been known for many years, but they are made of plain paper coated with LDPE foil and contain a metal bottom which often leads to self-ignition of the mantle of such grave candles. These types of grave candles are very demanding and difficult to recycle and are not eco-friendly. Plastic or PVC grave candles or paper grave candles with a layer of plastic foil and a metal bottom are available on the market which after use generate a large amount of waste in the form of paper with a plastic layer and unburnt paraffin combustible material, which overall has a great harmful impact on the environment, especially given the fact that laminated paper is very difficult to recycle. Using innovative manufacturing processes and eco-friendly resources, the negative environmental impact of the eco-friendly paper grave candle disclosed herein is reduced to a minimum.

The eco-friendly paper grave candle disclosed herein differs from the existing classic PVC grave candles in that it is made of non-combustible paper instead of plastic, it is eco-friendly, the wick is made of a paper core instead of a lead core, in addition to paraffin a high proportion (more than 60%) of alcohol from fats of plant origin is used as a combustible material (in classic PVC grave candles the combustible material is 100% paraffin), it has at least 70% longer-lasting burning in relation to classic PVC grave candle of an equal combustible material weight due to higher efficiency of the said and a slower burning time and the exterior design is made according to the buyer's wishes.

Patent databases search hasn't shown the existence of a grave candle that would contain a mantle made of persistent non-combustible paper without a layer of plastic foil and a bottom made of non-combustible paper without the addition of a plastic layer. Namely, by searching the patent databases, the inventor found a patent EP 1840457A1 SER S P A Italy where the container is made of paper which is not non- combustible but flammable, and the paper is soaked in paraffin or wax for a better diffusion of light, wherein the paper of the container body is laminated with a polyethylene layer, wherein the layers of plastic foil are applied to the bottom and serve to form welds and the container itself. The key difference with this invention is that the invention disclosed herein does not contain a layer of plastic foil. Furthermore, the bottom of this grave candle has one layer of aluminium. In patent EP1843090A1, the bottom of the grave candle is made of metal and is inserted into the container formed of paper. The paper used here is not non-combustible. The coatings used in the invention are made of acrylic polyester varnish that polymerize under UV radiation and also serve as a welding layer, in the inventor's invention there are two coatings (a welding layer and a barrier layer).

The document JP2016204531A PEGASUS CANDLE CO LTD presents non-combustible grease-resistant paper which is wrapped around an already-made candle, to prevent paraffin/wax dripping, it is not a paper container at all because it doesn't have a bottom or a formed container. In this invention there is no coating or welding layer, this is not necessary here because the container is not formed. The document IT201900012516A1 (MUTO) defines that the container is made of ordinary paper coated with a UV varnish and thus the said becomes non-porous for wax/paraffin, that is, non-combustible paper coated with a barrier and a welding layer does not appear. The said coating makes the paper self-extinguishing in case of ignition, so it is not noncombustible paper.

Also, the bottom of the container is made of aluminium, not paper, and no barrier or welding layer appears at the bottom of the container. In the US 005264996A document by Belle Jr. Anthony, the casing is formed as an ornament around an already-made candle. Multiple use of the casing is envisaged. The product disclosed herein is in fact a casing in which an already-made candle is inserted.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The eco-friendly paper grave candle disclosed herein is made of non-combustible paper that forms the outer mantle of the grave candle, the usual non-combustible paper weight ranges from 240 to 300 g/m2. Non-combustible paper is very porous, so it is necessary to treat the outer and inner side of the paper to make it suitable for making a candle container. The outer mantle of a such paper grave candle after treatment is therefore resistant to external influences (rain, humidity), which is achieved by treating the outer side of the paper by applying layers of ecological welding coating and a waterproof agent, without laminating with plastic. The inner side of the mantle of the grave candle is resistant to high temperatures and is non-porous to hot paraffin or combustible material - thanks to a special barrier layer and additionally added layers of welding/waterproof coating on the inner side of the paper that guarantee fire resistance, weldability and prevent migration up to 170°C. It is possible to make a print at the buyer's request on the outer side of the grave candle mantle, which enables a personalized design of the grave candle according to the buyers' wishes. Printing on the grave candle is done by using water-based paints, which reduces the harmful environmental impact. The bottom of the paper grave candle is also made of noncombustible paper with a thickness of 480 gr/m2, and a barrier layer is applied on both sides of the non-combustible paper, and a layer with welding and waterproof properties is applied on top of it. The container and the bottom of this grave candle are made without the use of plastic parts thanks to the welding layers applied to the non-combustible paper that hold the joints instead of the plastic foil. This eco-friendly paper grave candle is free of plastic or laminated parts. It contains a paper container in the shape of a cylinder made entirely of non-combustible and non-flammable paper, wherein the said paper container comprises a cylinder mantle and a bottom and wherein the bottom of the container is made of non-combustible and non-flammable paper ranging in thickness from 450 to 500 gr/m2 of the said container bottom. The cylinder mantle has an outer side of the cylinder mantle and an inner side of the cylinder mantle which contains the paper of the cylinder mantle on which either a flexo is printed or an image is printed from a copperplate on the outer side of the cylinder mantle and then the first welding layer is applied on that print and afterward the second welding layer is applied, in case there isn't any print, then they are applied directly to the paper of the cylinder mantle, while the first barrier layer is applied to the inner side of the cylinder mantle, then the second barrier layer, and then the first welding layer and finally the second welding layer. The bottom of the container is made of two 250 gr/m2 thick papers laminated on both sides with a water-based glue, wherein each side of the laminated layers contains the first barrier layer, then the second barrier layer, then the first welding layer, and finally the second welding layer. The aforementioned water-based glue is a dispersion of an artificial resin intended for glueing paper. The welding layer is a coating for the thermal sealing of paper in the form of an aqueous dispersion of a copolymer suitable for coating paper or an aqueous dispersion of a synthetic polymer suitable for coating paper. The barrier layer is a dispersion of artificial resin suitable for coating paper. The usual thickness of each welding layer is 6 gr/m2, but it can also be thicker, while the thickness of each barrier layer is 6 gr/m2, but it can also be thicker. The wick core of the grave candle is made of paper instead of lead, and apart from paraffin which is a petrochemical product alcohol from renewable sources of plant origin (obtained from the fats of plant origin) is used as a combustible material. The percentage of combustible material from renewable sources exceeds 60 % which reduces the usage of fossil fuels and CO2 emissions. There is a very high utilization of the combustible material (more than 95 %) due to the cylindrical shape of the eco-friendly grave candle which enables a uniform burning of the combustible material - the flame is exactly in the middle of the candle (grave candle) and is equally distanced from all points viewing in the horizontal plane towards the mantle of the grave candle. In the production of this grave candle, the gravimetric process of mixing the combustible material of the grave candle and the pouring technique is used, which enables a constant density of the combustible material that influences the control of the height and the intensity of the flame, which leads to significantly longer-lasting burning of the eco-friendly paper grave candle in comparison to the classic PVC grave candle - 100 grams of combustible material of the eco-friendly paper grave candle burns for 40 - 50 hours, while a classic grave candle of the same combustible material quantity burns for around 24 hours. The basic essence of the present invention is that an eco-friendly product is achieved by replacing the container of the grave candle which has so far been plastic or paper with a layer of plastic film with a metal bottom with a paper container made 100% of noncombustible paper with welding and barrier layers only. Water-based printing paints are used and the wick core is made of paper. Thus, all components of the grave candle container are eco-friendly and 100% plastic-free. The product still retains its shape and as such continues to be acceptable to buyers of traditional products, the product mimics a classic candle in shape, it has a cylindrical shape of a „pole", and the paper of the grave candle leaks full flame light thanks to the thin paper wall and the properties of non-combustible paper that is very porous. Furthermore, the appearance of the product has been improved as well as the communication with buyers due to colour prints and unlimited possibilities of motives and messages, and paper mantles have been treated from the outside with water-based varnish by subjecting to a special process, which gives an impression of a high gloss. The packaging is suitable for transport because the cylindrical shape of the product enables good stacking into the transport packaging and resistance to damage during transportation, while the metal ring (o-ring) on the top additionally fixes the grave candle. Stable burning is ensured without compromising the walls so that the flame is sufficient to melt the combustible material without damaging the paper. The wick is perfectly centered so that the flame burns in the middle at the same distance from the walls and thus the temperature load is uniformly distributed. The wick itself does not wind while burning and does not approach the wall (use of hard paper core).

The wick has a foot that is glued to the bottom of the container to prevent the wick from ^floating" out of the middle. A metal ring (o-ring) is placed on the upper edge to fix the paper when burning and to ensure that the cover does not fall over the paper edge. The said metal ring is specially designed to prevent the penetration of the wind into the interior of the grave candle, but also to ensure the correct positioning of the cover during burning and to allow proper airflow which is crucial for stable burning.

The grave candle disclosed herein is protected from the weather because paper treated with a special water-based varnish is used, which makes it waterproof as well as resistant to rain and humidity and at the same time gives a high gloss.

Paraffin combustible material is replaced by combustible material from renewable raw materials by using alcohol as a raw material gained from the fats of plant origin.

The eco-friendly paper grave candle disclosed herein represents a radical innovation on the market due to its innovative manufacturing process and eco-friendly features, which greatly contribute to ecology and sustainable development, but also due to the unlimited possibilities of personalization. The possibility of communicating with the buyer is far greater due to the possibility of printing, which is not possible with classic grave candle manufacturing techniques. Personalized messages and the visual appearance of eco-friendly paper grave candles and messages specific to certain regions or cities are a great novelty in the world of grave candles. Since the shape is the same and is being communicated via text or pictures, it is possible to have unlimited combinations, even in the same transport box. The ecological sustainability of the production of eco-friendly paper grave candles is reflected in almost everything. Namely, for mantle production of grave candles, only non-combustible paper is used that does not harm the environment and is degradable. The wick core is also made of paper (instead of lead). Fats of plant origin are used as combustible material (more than 60% of combustible material), which reduces the use of petrochemical paraffin, and fossil fuels as well as the CO2 emissions necessary for its production. The water resistance is achieved by applying a water-based varnish that does not harm the environment. The paints used for the visual appearance of the eco- friendly paper grave candle are also water-based and do not harm the environment.

In the manufacture of eco-friendly paper grave candle, less non-combustible paper is spent, which is the primary material for the production of the grave candle mantle, than the required amount of plastic from which the classic PVC grave candle is made. The specific mass of the paper sheath of this eco-friendly grave candle is 300gr/m2, while the specific mass of the plastic grave candle amounts to 1400gr/m2. Therefore, the consumption of the primary raw material is four times less for the same amount of products.

An important parameter is also the reduction of waste. During manufacture, there is always a small number of products that are not perfect and as such are not released for sale. In paper grave candle manufacturing technology, after filling the combustible material into the mantle of the paper grave candle, the said can be reused because the paper (grave candle mantle) is easily separated from the combustible material and thus such combustible material can be reused in the manufacturing process, and the unused paper is recycled. This is not possible with a classic PVC grave candle because it is hard to separate the plastic from paraffin and certain amounts of waste are generated. From this, it is evident that the manufacture of eco-friendly paper grave candles leads to a significant reduction in production waste.

By using an eco-friendly paper grave candle instead of a classic PVC grave candle the amount of plastic waste that is almost non-degradable in nature will be significantly reduced (the decomposition of plastic from which plastic grave candles are made lasts about 500 years). Waste generated by using an eco-friendly paper grave candle is significantly smaller than waste generated by using a plastic PVC grave candle because the specific mass of the paper sheath in the case of a paper grave candle is 300 gr/m2, while the specific mass of the plastic grave candle sheath amounts to 1400 gr/m2. Thus, the amount of waste is four times smaller for the same amount of products, it is also less harmful to the environment, and it degrades faster.

The innovative manufacturing process generates a grave candle with a longer-lasting burning than the grave candle manufactured by using classic techniques. The cylindrical shape of the eco-friendly paper grave candle is favorable when it comes to space and volume ratio, and in combination with the innovative gravimetric process (developed by the applicant ) that affects the constant density of the combustible material and the flame size, it enables much better-burning properties with much fewer container mantle.

The manufacture of the eco-friendly paper grave candle is carried out on a production line that has an energy consumption of 3kW/h, and for blowing (a PVC classic grave candle) the required energy consumption is 20 kW/h and the daily production (of PVC grave candles) is 4 times smaller. Thus, the energy consumption per unit of the manufactured eco-friendly paper grave candle is about 20 times smaller than per unit of the manufactured plastic grave candle.

During the production of the eco-friendly paper grave candle, in the manufacturing process of combustible material, melted fats of plant origin and paraffin are used, and by using special mixing processes a subcooled mixture of combustible material is obtained, which is then poured into the paper container of the grave candle. Such an innovative process affects the reduction of environmental pollution due to the lack of wastewater which is usually generated in the process of production of a classic PVC grave candle, in which paraffin must be cooled by the consumption of cold water from the cooler. In this way, not only water is saved but also a huge amount of the energy necessary for the operation of the cooler for cooling tools for making PVC containers and for melting PVC. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings included in the description and forming part of the description of the invention illustrate the best way to perform the invention so far considered and help explain the basic principles of the invention. The present invention is in no way limited by the drawings that are an integral part of the present invention. Figure 1. A view of the cross-section of the eco-friendly paper grave candle

Figure 2. A view of the cross-section of the cylinder mantle of the eco-friendly paper grave candle

Figure 3. A view of the cross-section of the bottom of the eco-friendly paper grave candle

A LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS USED IN DRAWINGS

200 - cylinder mantle

220 - outer side of the cylinder mantle

260 - inner side of the cylinder mantle

210 - paper of the cylinder mantle

212 - print

222 - first welding layer

224 - second welding layer

262 - first barrier layer

264 - second barrier layer

300 - bottom

310 - bottom paper

312 - glue

400 - metal ring

410 - wick

420 - combustible material DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AT LEAST ONE WAY OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The first step in manufacturing the eco-friendly grave candle 100 is to produce a paper container that forms the cylinder mantle 200 and the bottom 300 of the grave candle. On the non-combustible paper of the cylinder mantle 210 from which the cylinder mantle 200 is made, first, a print 212 on flexo or copperplate print with printers from roll to roll is made. The print 212 goes to the outer side of the cylinder mantle 220. The first welding layer 222 and the second welding layer 224 are applied to the printed side of the paper, each in a coating of at least 6 gr/m2 to avoid areas without this layer, which is important for the formation of the container weld and moisture protection. The first barrier layer 262 and the second barrier layer 264 are applied to the inner side of the cylinder mantle 260 each in a coating of at least 6 gr/m2 to prevent the penetration of warm paraffin through the porous non-combustible paper, and then the first barrier layer 262 and the second barrier layer 264 each in a coating of 6 gr/m2 are applied to these layers. These coatings allow the container to be formed without plastic foil. After that, the treated non-combustible paper is cut to the required dimension. The bottom paper 300 is laminated from two non-combustible bottom papers 310 with a thickness of 240 gr/m2 and a final thickness of 480 gr/m2 is obtained, and lamination is done with water-based glue 312. Then, the first barrier layer 262 and the second barrier layer 264 are applied on the bottom paper on both sides, each 6 gr/m2, and the first welding layer 222 and the second welding layer 224 each 6 gr/m2 are applied on top of that, thus obtaining the tightness and weldability of the bottom. The paper for the bottom 310 is then cut to a width of 75 mm and wound on a roll with a diameter of 1000 mm. Water-based glue is usually used for lamination. In one embodiment, the said water-based glue is a dispersed glue based on artificial resins dispersed in water suitable for glueing paper. The aforementioned glues are available on the market. Such glue is available from the manufacturer HENKEL trade name AQUENCE TB 7236 also known as Adhesin A 7236. Such glues are commonly used to glue paper on fast paper processing lines, they are suitable for glueing paper without print, with a print, and lacquered and non-lacquered paper surfaces. For the welding layer, a coating for thermal sealing of paper in the form of an aqueous dispersion of a copolymer suitable for coating paper or an aqueous dispersion of a synthetic polymer suitable for coating paper is used. The barrier layer consists of a dispersive aqueous varnish containing artificial resins suitable for coating paper. The coating forming the welding layer, as well as the coating forming the barrier layer, is available on the market. In one embodiment, the barrier coating of the manufacturer PULSE trade name Aqualine DFC BARRIER EMULSION AL 433 - 60 with the properties of creating a barrier layer that does not leak water and grease suitable for application on paper is used as a barrier layer, and the product of the manufacturer HENKEL trade name LOCTITE LIOFOL HS 2809-22 RE is used as a welding layer, which is used as standard in the food industry as a coating for thermal sealing for paper materials (paper, cardboard and the like). In another embodiment, a paper coating by HENKEL, trade name AQUENCE EPIX BC 6140 is used as a barrier layer, also with the properties of creating a barrier layer that does not leak water and grease suitable for application on paper, and a product of the manufacturer SUBECO trade name Ter-Cryl 211 HS, which is used as a standard coating for paper and cardboard, is used as a welding layer, being a dispersed copolymer of styrene acrylate. From the processed mantle paper and the processed bottom paper, a container is formed on the production line for the production of paper containers, and a metal ring 400 is placed on top of that container. Then the container goes to the line for filling and inserting the wick 410 and covering it with the lid. When filling, the gravimetric process is applied to prepare the filling mixture as described further in the description.

An extended metal ring 400 with a slight cone is placed at the top of the grave candle so that it can be easily, quickly, and effortlessly mounted on paper containers. In one embodiment the metal ring 400 is 10 mm wide and enters the depth of the paper container with its entire width, thus taking on a large part of the thermal load from the cover and the heat does not go to the narrow band of the paper container top. The cover of the grave candle and the said metal ring on the top of the grave candle are made of metal that tolerates the temperature well, and to achieve as much heat loss as possible, the cover is specially designed with an upper surface just above the holes, which allows the air stream to take the heat away by convection.

The metal ring is shaped so that it expands in a horizontal direction, thus breaking the gust of stronger wind flow. In practice, the flow bounces against the wall and goes toward the bottom of the grave candle, however, the aforementioned extension of the metal ring in the horizontal direction breaks the wind flow and reduces the speed and the power of the wind flow and does not extinguish the flame.

The paper wick 410 is specially developed and does not contain a lead thread in the middle. The process of making the wick is innovative: the middle of the wick is made of a different kind of paper and is wound in the opposite direction to the wall of the wick. This results in opposing forces and buckling tendencies that cancel out each other and keep the wick straight.

A mixture of liquid paraffin and alcohol obtained from fats of plant origin (more than 60%) is used as combustible material 420 inside the paper grave candle. There is a special procedure for mixing the mentioned mixture and in the process of mixing by using the innovative grave candle gravimetry method, the density of the combustible material is changed in the process, thus reducing the energy required for uniform melting of the entire section of the grave candle and preventing the remaining of the combustible material along the paper wall. Thus, a smaller flame is obtained, and at the same time a significantly better use of combustible material burning. Gravimetry for the grave candle is an innovative process, developed by the applicant, which by a series of automated procedures calibrates the mixture and ensures a constant density of the combustible material and combustion conditions that are necessary for stable burning. In addition to the gravimetry procedure, the applicant has also developed an innovative procedure for filling the paper grave candle to make the combustible material inside the grave candle compact and stable. Pouring the liquid combustible material mixture into the grave candle could damage the wall of the paper container due to the high temperature of the material, which would lead to the separation of the mixture from the paper container and a decreased stability of the said due to the shrinkage property of the mixture during the process of cooling. Therefore, the mixture is subcooled by using special innovative procedures, which causes less shrinkage of the mixture (thermal expansion equals zero). The aforementioned innovative procedure leads to good compactness and stability of the eco-friendly paper grave candle.

The process of positioning the wick in the container is also innovative. First, eco- friendly glue is applied on the bottom of the grave candle, exactly in the middle of the container at the position of the wick, exactly in the middle of the grave candle, then the mixture of combustible material is poured into the paper container, and only then the wick is positioned by inserting it through the mixture. This process ensures the positioning of the wick in the middle of the grave candle and prevents its separation from the center during burning, but also the inability of the flame to approach the wall of the grave candle.