FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing biodegradable resin materials and products thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Planet Earth has come to a situation where there are severe environmental, global warming issues which resulted in drastic changes to all its inhabitants. One major cause has been determined to be the production of millions of tons of plastic wastes which are improperly disposed in land, seas, and oceans. Though plastics may have served humans its convenience, plastics are not biodegradable and will remain to be unusable plastics in its form for about 50 to 100 years. A solution is needed to ensure that dumping of plastics and plastic products does not continue, or another solution is to provide biodegradable or compostable materials that will decompose in a short period of time. Recently, a new kind of biodegradable materials were created to replace the petrochemical-based polymers. These biodegradable materials used are known as green polymers which utilizers natural fibre polymer composites. In response to addressing such problems, biodegradable resins also has been considered to be included to be one of the green polymers which may be used in compression molding processes for making articles of manufacture such as food packaging and cutleries like plates cups, spoons, and fork.

[0003] Malaysian Patent MY-169171-A discloses a method of producing a biodegradable composition comprising the steps of washing and cleaning a tapioca, shredding the washed and cleaned tapioca, grinding said shredded tapioca into a pulp, drying and powderized said pulp; adding 20% - 80% by weight of starch based on total weight of the biodegradable composition as a binder or thickener to said tapioca powder, adding shredded and communicated fine fiber of the tapioca for increasing flexural strength of a product produced from said biodegradable composition, adding releasing agent to facilitate easy removal of the product produced thereof, adding plasticisers for improving quality of the product, and characterized by adding a repellent to said mixture containing the tapioca powder, and wherein said repellent comprises of soybean powder, milk protein and silicone to obtain the biodegradable composition. [0004] European Patent Application EP3910005A1 discloses of a method for producing biodegradable and compostable granules consisting of natural components including starch and thickening and gelling agents and does not include any bioplastics. The granulate is used according to the invention for the production of biodegradable and preferably compostable products and articles of daily use. The present invention also relates to processes for producing the granules according to the invention and processes for producing different products by using the granules according to the invention.

[0005] While the prior art documents utilizes natural fibers/products such as starch, it has been determined that the utility of starches such as the cassava flour is that when it is used into granules for injection machines, fibres from organic cassava/tapioca flour was incompatible with other fibers used for strengthening the resin product, and the bonding has an unsatisfactory quality with poor elasticity.

[0006] In order to address the previous problems encountered in the prior art, the present invention aims to provide a method for producing a starch based biodegradable resin that has a good quality, elasticity, and has a good biodegradability, and is a compostable resin.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] In one aspect, the invention provides, a method for producing a biodegradable resin material comprising sieving tapioca flour using #80 to #100 mesh, drying said sieved tapioca flour at 45-90°C for 3-5 hours and set aside, mixing polylactic acid (PLA) with an additive mix selected from the group consisting of flow enhancers, plasticizers, and heat stabilizers for 15 to 30 mins at low speed then drying said PLA and additive mix at 45-90°C for 1-3 hours to remove moisture, adding said dried tapioca flour to said PLA and additive mix to obtain a dry extrusion blend, feeding said dry extrusion blend into a hopper of an extruder at 70-90°C, extruding said dry extrusion blend into an extrudate and, granulating said extrudate to produce a final product of bio-resin substrate granules.

[0008] In an aspect of the invention, said method further comprises dehumidifying said dried flour for 2 hours to obtain a flour moisture of 5 to 30 ppm, said dehumidifying step is done after pre-drying sieved flour. Said method also further comprises storing said bioresin substrate granules into waterproof storage means.

[0009] In an aspect of the invention, said extruding step of said method comprises extruding said dry extrusion mix blend at a pre-determined profile in a barrel of said extruder, and at a low to medium speed to obtain a pre-granulation bio-resin extrudate, said pre-granulation bio-resin extrudate has a tensile strength of 23.5 MPa. Said granulating step comprises cutting said extrudate into granules using an extruder face cutter to obtain said final bio-resin substrate granules.

[0010] In another aspect, the invention provides a biodegradable resin material obtainable by the methods of the present invention, wherein said material has a pH value of 5, has a melting temperature range of 160-180°C, soluble in water after 7 days, will disintegrate into soil within 2-3 weeks if exposed to rain and sunlight, and has a shelf life of 2 years. Said material has a tensile strength of 23.5 MPa, an elasticity of 1-3 GPa, and a biodegradability of less than 80 days.

[0011] In another aspect, the invention provides a method for producing starch based biodegradable articles of manufacture comprising drying bio-resin substrate granules in a hopper of an injection machine at a temperature of 70-80 C for 90 to 120 minutes, feeding a heated barrel of said injection machine with said bio-resin substrate granules from the hopper, melting said bio-resin substrate granules using said heated barrel, purging said heated barrel with 3 - 5 barrel-full shots of molten bio-resin, and injecting said molten bioresin into a mold by starting injection process with low speed and pressure then gradually increasing the pressure and speed accordingly.

[0012] In another aspect, the invention provides a method for producing a biodegradable resin material comprising, sieving tapioca flour using #80 to #100 mesh, melting wax and mixing said wax with coconut oil, mixing sieved cassava with said wax and coconut oil then adding stearate and additives to obtain a bio-resin premix, drying said premix for 2 hours, feeding said dried premix to a feeder of a compounding extruder, said extruder set at low to medium speed, extruding said premix to obtain a pre-granulation bio-resin substrate, crushing said pre-granulation bio-resin extrudate in a crusher to 5 to 10 mm particles, drying said crushed extrudate for 1-2 hours then feeding said crushed extrudate to a resin extruder, and extruding said crushed substrate as final bio-resin substrate granules.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 presents a flowchart of the method for producing a biodegradable resin (bio-resin) material of the present invention. [0014] Figure 2 shows a demonstration of the hardness, density, and the tensile test being conducted on the sample articles of manufacture produced by the method of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 3 shows pellet form or granule form of the produced PLA-tapioca bio-resin material of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4 shows another method for producing a biodegradable resin from sieving to packing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The following detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form part of the detailed description. The drawings show illustrations in accordance with example embodiments. These example embodiments are described in enough details to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present subject matter. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practised without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments. The embodiments can be combined, other embodiments can be utilized or structural and logical changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken as a limiting sense.

[0018] In this document, the terms “a” or “an” are used, as is common in patent documents, to include one or more than one. In this document, the term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive “or,” such that “A or B” includes “A but not B,” “B but not A,” and “A and B,” unless otherwise indicated.

[0019] It should be understood that the capabilities of the invention described in the present disclosure and elements shown in the figures may be implemented in various forms of methods, processes, use, or products of the present invention.

[0020] The present invention provides a method for producing a biodegradable resin (bioresin) material. Said method of the present invention comprises the steps sieving tapioca flour, drying said sieved tapioca flour, mixing polylactic acid (PLA) with an additive mix, then pre-drying said PLA and additive mix to remove moisture, adding said dried tapioca flour to said PLA and additive mix to obtain a dry extrusion blend; feeding said dry extrusion blend in an extruder then extruding and granulating said dry extrusion blend to produce a final product of bio-resin substrate granules. In a preferred embodiment, the biodegradable resin material of the present invention is a compostable resin.

[0021] The method of the present invention employs a multi-stage processing of cassava flour or cassava powder before a final blending which allows to cassava powder to be used with other fibers for providing a strengthened biodegradable resin, and a resin having a good bonding. The multi-stage processing of sieving, pre-drying the raw materials, mixing, and repeated drying provides a means to overcome cassava flour’s incompatibility along with other fibers. A method for producing a biodegradable resin of the present invention is provided specifically for use in the production of injection moulded articles of manufacture.

[0022] In one embodiment, a step of sieving tapioca flour is provided in the method of the present invention. Said step of sieving was performed using a #80 to #150 mesh or mesh screen in order to obtain even powder size of the tapioca flour which is the base material of the biodegradable resin of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, an industrial grade tapioca flour was used. In a preferred embodiment, said tapioca flour used for sieving, or also called cassava flour, is in an amount of 30-60% by weight. In another preferred embodiment, a #80-#100 mesh screen is used for sieving.

[0023] In one embodiment, a step of drying a sieved tapioca flour is provided in the method of the present invention. Said drying of tapioca flour is done at 45-90°C for 3-5 hours and set aside. In a preferred embodiment, said drying of tapioca flour was done at 45°C for 5, hours or at 90°C for 3 hours.

[0024] In one embodiment, a step of dehumidifying a sieved tapioca flour is further provided in the method of the present invention. Said dehumidifying sieved tapioca flour is done using a dehumidifier. The dehumidifying step is performed for about 2 hours in order to obtain a flour moisture of 5 to 30 ppm. In a preferred embodiment, said dehumidifying step is done after pre-drying sieved flour and before the step of mixing PLA and additive mix. Dehumidifying is performed in order to ensure that moisture is removed from the base material.

[0025] In one embodiment, a step of mixing polylactic acid (PLA) with an additive mix is provided in the method of the present invention. In this step, a PLA and additive mix (PLA- additive mix) is prepared before further mixing said PLA-additive mix to the tapioca flour or to the sieved tapioca flour. In a preferred embodiment, 10-50% by weight of PLA is used in said mixing step. Said step of mixing PLA with additives is performed for 15 to 30 minutes at low speed. After mixing at low speed, the PLA-additive mix was dried at 45-90°C for 1-3 hours also to remove moisture. Said low speed are extruder speed settings that are known in the art. In a preferred embodiment, said drying of PLA-additive mix was performed at 45°C for 3 hours, or performed at 90°C for 1 hour. In one embodiment, said additive mix comprises additives selected from the group consisting of flow enhancers, plasticizers, heat stabilizers. In one embodiment, said additive mix comprises a combination of flow enhancers, plasticizers, bonding agents, impact modifiers, bio-polyurethane, and heat stabilizers. In one embodiment, said additive mix comprises additives selected from the group consisting of 0.5-12% by weight of bio-polyurethane, 0.1-10% by weight of flow enhancers, 0.1-10% by weight of bonding agents, 0.1-10% by weight of heat stabilizers, and 1-15% by weight of impact modifiers. In a preferred embodiment, said additive mix comprises of 0.5-12% by weight of bio-polyurethane, 0.1-10% by weight of flow enhancers, 0.1-10% by weight of bonding agents, 0.1-10% by weight of heat stabilizers, and 1-15% by weight of impact modifiers. In an optional embodiment, said additive mix further comprises colouring agents, or 0.5-15% by weight of colouring agents.

[0026] In one embodiment, said flow enhancers is coconut oil. Said coconut oil was used for providing good viscosity and flowability of molten bio-resin material, and also for providing a smooth finish for the bio-resin material granules, as well as for the smooth finish of articles of manufacture obtained in injection moulding using the bio-resin material of the present invention. In one embodiment, said plasticizers is polylactic acid (PLA). In a preferred embodiment, said heat stabilizer is a stearate, or any stearate selected from the group consisting of calcium stearate, magnesium stearate, potassium stearate, sodium stearate, and zinc stearate. In a preferred embodiment, said additive mix comprises wax, oil, stearate, and organic matter. Most preferably, an additive mix comprising wax, coconut oil, stearate, and coconut husk (organic matter) is used in the methods of the present invention. In a further embodiment, glycerol was added as a coating agent for said bio-resin material.

[0027] In one embodiment, a step of dehumidifying PLA-additive mix is further provided in the method of the present invention. Said step of dehumidifying was performed at 45-90°C for 1-2 hours. The dehumidifying step was performed in order to remove moisture, or to acquire a PLA-additive mix moisture level of 5 to 30 ppm.

[0028] In one embodiment, a step of adding a dried tapioca flour to a PLA and additive mix is provided in the method of the present invention. In adding dried tapioca flour to PLA- additive mix, a dry extrusion blend is obtained. In another embodiment, adding said tapioca flour to said PLA-additive mix comprises mixing by stirring through an industrial tumbler, or an industrial tumbling machine. Said mixing by stirring in an industrial is performed for 15 to 30 minutes at low speed. In a preferred embodiment, said dry extrusion blend was further tumbled in an industrial tumbler for 15 to 20 minutes to ensure a uniform mix of said dry extrusion blend. In another embodiment, tapioca flour, PLA, and additive mix are first blended using a compounding extruder, wherein said extruder is a twin screw extruder. In a preferred embodiment, a barrel of a compounding extruder used for blending tapioca flour, PLA, and additive mix has a barrel length of 1.8288 meters. In another embodiment, said barrel of a compounding extruder comprises heaters for providing a desired temperature profile for said blending, and also to prevent degradation of the substrate.

[0029] In one embodiment, a step of feeding a dry extrusion blend into a hopper of an extruder is provided in the method of the present invention. Said hopper of an extruder was set to a temperature of 70-90°C in order to maintain the dryness of said extrusion blend.

[0030] In one embodiment, a step of extruding a dry extrusion blend is provided in the method of resin extrudate. In a preferred embodiment, said extrudate obtained has a noodle configuration.

[0031] In one embodiment, a step of granulating an extrudate is provided in the method of the present invention. The step of granulating comprises cutting said extrudate into granules or pellets using a face cutting device. Said face cutting device is fitted to a nozzle or fitted to a nozzle head. In a preferred embodiment, bio-resin substrate granules are obtained in said step of granulation.

[0032] In one embodiment, a step of storing bio-resin substrate granules is provided in the method of the present invention. Said step of storing bio-resin substrate granules comprises storing bio-resin substrate granules into waterproof storage means. Said waterproof storage means are selected from the group consisting of waterproof and sealable polyethylene bags, and waterproof and sealable 6-ply corrugated paper bags.

[0033] In an optional embodiment, a 10% maximum of regrind may be used for the methods of the present invention. Usage of regrind of more than 10% of the total material will reduce the strength of the product and is not recommendable. In another optional embodiment, organic additives may be used to improve flow and binding of the recycle resin.

[0034] In one aspect of the invention, a biodegradable resin material obtainable by a method for producing a biodegradable resin (bio-resin) material is provided. Said biodegradable resin material has a pH value of 5, has a melting temperature range of 160- 180°C. Said biodegradable resin material has a property of being completely dissolved in water after 7 days of exposure to water or immersion in water. Said biodegradable resin material was also observed to completely disintegrate when buried in soil within 2-3 weeks while being exposed to sun and rain. Said biodegradable resin material was also observed to have a shelf life of 2 years. Preferably, said biodegradable resin material has a density of 1.24 g/cm ³ (Test Method D792 of ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials)), a melt flow index of 3-8 g/10min. (Test Method D1238 of ASTM), a melt temperature range of 160-180°C (Test Method D-3418 of ASTM), a moisture content of less than 0.7% (Internal Standard of ASTM), a tensile strength of 23.5 MPa (Test Method D638-02 of ASTM), and an elongation at break of 1.38% (Test Method D882 of ASTM). The biodegradable resin material, preferably in the form of granules or pellets, can be processed in most molding machines. The common melt temperature is 160°C. In a preferred embodiment, said biodegradable resin material of the present invention comprises tapioca flour/starch, wax, oil, polylactic acid, stearate, and coconut husk. The biodegradable resin material of the present invention is easily decomposable, and when disposed, it may be safely consumed by cattle, goats, horses, poultry, and other animals as fiber-rich component of feeds. In a preferred embodiment, the biodegradable resin material of the present invention is a compostable resin material.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment, the biodegradable resin material of the present invention is a MBR-A-01 resin material, an injection grade resin material, or an injection grade resin.

[0036] In one aspect of the invention, a method for producing starch based biodegradable articles of manufacture is provided. Said method for producing starch based biodegradable articles of manufacture comprises drying bio-resin substrate granules in a hopper of an injection machine, feeding a heated barrel of said injection machine with said bio-resin substrate granules from the hopper, melting said bio-resin substrate granules, purging said heated barrel with 3 - 5 barrel-full shots of molten bio-resin, and injecting said molten bioresin into a mold.

[0037] In one embodiment, a step of drying bio-resin substrate granules in a hopper of an injection machine is provided in a method for producing starch based biodegradable articles of manufacture of the present invention. A temperature of 70-80°C is used for drying said bio-resin substrate granules. In a preferred embodiment, said step of drying bio-resin substrate granules utilizes a temperature of 70-80°C for 90-120 minutes. It is essential that the bio-resin substrate or bio-resin substrate granules of the present invention is dried/pre- dried before using to be injected in order to produce a good surface finish and appearance of the produced articles of manufacture. It is most preferred that the drying time is at 70°C for 2 hours in conventional hopper driers. In an optional embodiment, the use of a dehumidifier is further used in said step of drying bio-resin substrate granules.

[0038] In one embodiment, a step of melting said bio-resin substrate granules is provided in a method for producing starch based biodegradable articles of manufacture of the present invention. Said step of melting bio-resin substrate granules is performed using said heated barrel. Melting said bio-resin substrate granules produces molten bio-resin.

[0039] In one embodiment, a step of melting said bio-resin substrate granules is provided in a method for producing starch based biodegradable articles of manufacture of the present invention. Said step of melting bio-resin substrate granules is performed using said heated barrel. Melting said bio-resin substrate granules produces molten bio-resin.

[0040] In one embodiment, a step of injecting said molten bio-resin into a mold is provided in a method for producing starch based biodegradable articles of manufacture of the present invention. Said injecting step is executed by starting an injection process with low speed and low pressure, then gradually adjusted to increasing pressure and increasing speed accordingly. In a preferred embodiment, the mould temperature is between 40-80°C. Using higher temperature produces a better finish for the articles of manufacture produced. Injection speed, pressure, holding pressure, and back pressure are determined by the tonnage of the machine and gate size known to a person skilled in the art. Preferably, a medium to high injection pressure and holding pressure is applied. In another preferred embodiment, a low to medium injection speed with medium back pressure is applied.

[0041] In one aspect of the invention, a method [100] for producing a biodegradable resin material is provided. Said method comprises the steps of sieving [102] tapioca/cassava flour in #80 to #100 mesh, mixing and melting [104] wax and coconut oil, mixing [106] sieved cassava with said wax and coconut oil then adding [108] stearate, polylactic acid (PLA), and additives to obtain a bio-resin premix, drying [110] said premix, feeding [114] said dried premix to a feeder of an extruder, extruding [118] said premix to obtain a pregranulation bio-resin extrudate, crushing [122] said pre-granulation bio-resin extrudate in a crusher, drying [124] said crushed extrudate then feeding [126] said crushed extrudate to a resin extruder, and extruding [126] said crushed extrudate as final bio-resin substrate. [0042] In one embodiment, a step of mixing [106] sieved cassava with said wax and coconut oil is provided in the method [100] for producing a biodegradable resin material of the present invention. Said step of mixing comprises mixing by tumbling said sieved cassava, wax, and coconut oil in an industrial tumbler for 15 minutes at a temperature of 45°C.

[0043] In one embodiment, a step of adding [108] stearate, polylactic acid (PLA), and additives to obtain a bio-resin premix is provided in the method [100] for producing a biodegradable resin material of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, said step of adding [108] stearate, PLA, and additives further comprises spinning for about 10 minutes at 45°C.

[0044] In one embodiment, a step of drying [110] a bio-resin premix is provided in the method [100] for producing a biodegradable resin material of the present invention. Said step of drying a bio-resin premix comprises drying for about 2 hours.

[0045] In one embodiment, a step of inspecting [112] a dried bio-resin premix is provided in the method [100] for producing a biodegradable resin material of the present invention. Said step of inspecting [112] or also a first quality check of the dried bio-resin premix is performed to assess the individual physical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the PLA, industrial grade tapioca flour, and additives to determine the optimum processing temperature needed. Upon confirmation of various profiles, tabulation of data was performed, and a smooth performance was determined.

[0046] In one embodiment, a step of feeding [114] a dried bio-resin premix to a feeder of an extruder is further provided in the method [100] for producing a biodegradable resin material of the present invention. Said step of feeding to a feeder of an extruder utilizes a compounding extruder. Said extruder was set at a low speed to medium speed setting.

[0047] In one embodiment, a step of extruding [118] a bio-resin premix to obtain a pregranulation bio-resin extrudate is provided in the method [100] for producing a biodegradable resin material of the present invention. Prior to said step of extruding, turning on extruder screw [116] and setting a low speed to medium speed was first performed. In a preferred embodiment, a step of a bio-resin extrudate inspection. In a preferred embodiment, a step of inspecting [120] said pre-granulation bio-resin extrudate is performed. Said step of inspecting [120] comprises visual and physical inspection of the bio-resin extrudate for the bonding, plasticity, and strength was performed. Said step of inspecting [120] was performed by taking a flat piece of the bio-resin extrudate, then cut, and then viewed in a microscope for assessing a material fusion of the extrudate. Where the fusion is determined to be insufficient, temperature, and speed of the extruding [118] step will be re-adjusted. The extrudate is also tested for tensile strength and other mechanical properties as needed.

[0048] In one embodiment, a step of crushing [122] a pre-granulation bio-resin extrudate is provided in the method [100] for producing a biodegradable resin material of the present invention. Said step of crushing was performed using a crusher. Said step of crushing was performed in order to obtain extrudates or extrudate particles having a size of 5 to 10 mm.

[0049] In one embodiment, a step of drying [124] a crushed bio-resin extrudate is provided in the method [100] for producing a biodegradable resin material of the present invention. Said step of drying [124] was performed for about 1-2 hours.

[0050] In one embodiment, a step of extruding [126] a crushed bio-resin extrudate is provided in the method [100] for producing a biodegradable resin material of the present invention. Said step of extruding is performed by first feeding a dried bio-resin extrudate or a crushed bio-resin extrudate into a resin extruder, in order to obtain an extruded final bioresin substrate. In a preferred embodiment, said extruded final bio-resin substrate are in the form of granules or pellets. In a preferred embodiment, said step of extruding [126] is followed by an inspection [128] step which comprises assessment of the extruded final bioresin substrate material or substrate granules.

[0051] In one embodiment, a step of storing or packaging [126] a bio-resin substrate is further provided in the method [100] for producing a biodegradable resin material of the present invention. Said step of storing or packaging comprises storing said bio-resin substrate in a waterproof storage means to prevent contamination of the bio-resin substrate.

[0052] FIG. 2 shows the tests conducted for the sample articles of manufacture produced by the method of the present invention wherein a hardness test, a density check, and a tensile check was performed.

[0053] FIG. 3 provides a sample of the biodegradable resin substrate granules/pellets of the present invention, or also known as the PLA-tapioca bio-resin substrate of the present invention. The produced bio-resin substrate granules or pellets were observed to have good finish and is utilizable for manufacturing processes that use injection moulding. [0054] WORKING EXAMPLE

[0055] Example 1: Producing the biodegradable resin material.

[0056] In an example provided in FIG. 1 , the method for producing a biodegradable resin material starts by sieving [102] tapioca flour or cassava flour using a 80-100 mesh. Wax and coconut which were stored in solid or semi-solid form were melted [104] and then added to the sieved tapioca/cassava flour. Mixing [106] of tapioca flour wax and coconut oil was performed by mixing using an industrial tumbler for a total of 15 minutes at at 45°C. Afterwards, stearate, PLA, and additives were added [108] also into the wax-coconut oiltapioca flour mix and spinned or mixed by tumbling again using said industrial tumbler for another 10 minutes at 45°C in order to obtain a compounded material which is the bio-resin premix. The bio-resin premix was dried [110] for 2 hours prior to an inspection or quality check. An inspection or quality check [112] was performed in order to check whether material is graded as satisfactory for the next stage (OK), or not good (NG). If dried bioresin premix does not, NG, meet the moisture requirement, it will be returned to the drying step [110], If the bio-resin premix meets the moisture content, OK, then the dried bio-resin premix is then fed [114] to a compounding extruder which was turned on [116] and set to an extruder speed of low speed to medium speed. The bio-resin premix was then extruded [118] as a bio-resin extrudate. Said bio-resin extrudate produces were observed to be in lumps, which were then cooled and dried for about 4-8 hours. Simultaneously while drying, and inspection or quality check [120] was further performed by taking a flat piece of the bioresin extrudate, then cut, and then viewed in a microscope for assessing a material fusion of the extrudate. Where the fusion is determined to be insufficient, temperature, and speed of the extruding [118] step will be re-adjusted. The extrudate is also tested for tensile strength and other mechanical properties as needed. Furthermore, if the bio-resin extrudate is not good (NG) or does not meet the required characteristics, the extrudate is then returned to be fed [114] to the compounding extruder. However, bio-resin extrudates which has met the required characteristics were proceeded to be crushed [122] to 5-10 mm particles, then were dried [124] for 1-2 hours. After drying, a final extrusion [126] was performed in a resin extruder which has an installed noodle head to perform noodle extrusion and were cut using a face cutter in order to produce final bio-resin substrate granules. The final bio-resin granules were also inspected or performed of a quality check [128], which if said granules were observed to have satisfactory characteristics (OK) were proceeded to storage ang packaging [130] in a waterproof, and sealed polyethylene bags in order to prevent contamination and moisture exposure. Bio-resin substrate granules that were not good (NG) or not satisfactory in terms of characteristics were returned to extrusion [126] until satisfactory substrate granules are produced.

[0057] Example 2: Producing the biodegradable resin material

[0058] In an example provided in FIG.4, tapioca/cassava starch/flour was first subjected to sieving using a #80-#150 mesh screen to even the powder size of the sieved tapioca/cassava starch/flour, which is referred as to the base material. The sieved cassava was then dried/pre-dried in a conventional drier for 3 hours at 45-90°C to obtain a designated BLEND 1. Afterwards, PLA and additives such as flow enhancers, plasticizers, heat stabilizers, and impact modifiers were mixed or stirred together in a tumbler for 15-30 minutes at low speed stirring. The mixture was then dried/pre-dried also at 45-90°C for 1- 3 hours to remove moisture to obtain a BLEND 2. BLEND 1 and BLEND 2 were then mixed and stirred in a tumbler for 15-20 minutes to ensure a uniform mix of a dry extrusion blend which is the extrusion raw material (Extru-Raw Mat). Said Extru-Raw Mat was then fed into the hopper of an extruder at a temperature of 70-90°C to maintain the dryness of the blend for a period of 1-2 hours. To begin compounding extrusion, the Extru-Raw Mat was fed into the barrel of a compounding extruder and was extruded at a temperature ranging from 160- 200°C at a low to medium extrusion speed. The material coming out of the compounding extruder , which is an extrudate, was visually and physically inspected for its bonding, plasticity, and strength wherein a flat piece is cut from the extrudate obtained was viewed in a microscope to examine the fusion of the materials. In cases where fusion is found to be insufficient, the temperature and speed of the compounding extruder is adjusted. The final step performed was granulation wherein upon meeting an extrudate’s required parameters, a granulation nozzle head was fitted to the extruder tip. The extrudate was then blended inside the extruder and was extruded as noodles, and the granulation of the noodles was performed by cutting said noodle-configured extrudate using a face cutting device to obtain the raw granule or pellets as the end product of a compostable bio-resin material/granules. The granules/pellets were then packed in waterproof and sealed plastic lined bags to avoid contamination from atmospheric moisture and insects, which is now ready for shipments.

[0059] Example 3: Injection process

[0060] In an example provided, bio-resin substrate granules were dried in the hopper of an injection machine. The drying temperature was 70C which was conducted for 2 hours. A barrel if said injection machine was heated and was fed with the bio-resin substrate granules from the hopper and were melted using a pre-determined temperature. The barrel was purged with 3-5 barrel-full shots of molten bio-resin and then the injection process started using a low speed and low-pressure setting and then gradually increased in pressure and speed until a part in the mould is filled completely. A hardened and cooled article of manufacture produced from said process was tested for tensile strength, compression strength, elasticity, and biodegradability.

[0061] As would be apparent to a person having ordinary skilled in the art, the afore- described composition may be provided in many variations, modifications or alternatives relating to method for preparing an instant rice thereof. The principles and concepts disclosed herein may also be implemented in various manner which may not have been specifically described herein but which are to be understood as encompassed within the scope and letter of the following claims.