Bio-based elastomeric eva compositions and articles and methods thereof

Abstract

A polymer composition may include an elastomeric ethylene-vinyl acetate, in which at least a portion of ethylene from the elastomeric ethylene-vinyl acetate is obtained from a renewable source of carbon. A curable polymer composition, an expandable polymer composition, articles, cured articles, and expanded articles may include or be formed from such polymer composition. A process for producing a polymer composition may include polymerizing ethylene at least partially obtained from a renewable source of carbon with vinyl acetate to produce an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer; and mixing the ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer with an elastomeric polyolefin to produce an elastomeric ethylene-vinyl acetate.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A polymer composition, comprising: an elastomeric ethylene-vinyl acetate, in which at least a portion of ethylene from the elastomeric ethylene-vinyl acetate is obtained from a renewable source of carbon. 
     
     
         2 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the elastomeric ethylene-vinyl acetate comprises:
 an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer;   an ethylene alpha-olefin copolymer; and   a rubber.   
     
     
         3 . The polymer composition of  claim 2 , wherein the elastomeric ethylene-vinyl acetate comprises:
 the ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer at a percent by weight in the range of 20 wt % to 90 wt %;   the ethylene alpha-olefin copolymer at a percent by weight in the range of 5% to 60%;   the rubber at a percent by weight in the range of 0.5 wt % to 40 wt %;   a polyorganosiloxane at a percent by weight in the range of 0.1 wt % to 10 wt %; and   a plasticizer at a percent by weight in the range of 0.5 wt % to 20 wt %.   
     
     
         4 . The polymer composition of  claim 2 , wherein the ethylene alpha-olefin copolymer is prepared from a C3 to C20 alpha-olefin monomer. 
     
     
         5 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the vinyl acetate is at least partially obtained from a renewable source of carbon. 
     
     
         6 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the vinyl acetate is present in the copolymer in an amount ranging from 5 to 40 wt %. 
     
     
         7 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the ethylene is present in the copolymer in an amount ranging from 60 to 95 wt %. 
     
     
         8 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the polymer composition exhibits a biobased carbon content as determined by ASTM D6866-18 Method B of at least 5%. 
     
     
         9 . An article prepared from the polymer composition of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         10 . A curable polymer composition comprising the polymer composition of  claim 1  and at least a peroxide agent. 
     
     
         11 . A cured non-expanded article prepared from the curable polymer composition of  claim 10 . 
     
     
         12 . The cured non-expanded article of  claim 11 , wherein the cured article exhibits a density as determined by ASTM D-792 within the range of 0.7 to 1.2 g/cm3. 
     
     
         13 . The cured non-expanded article of  claim 11 , wherein the cured article exhibits a Shore A hardness as determined by ASTM D2240 in the range of 40 to 90 Shore A. 
     
     
         14 . The cured non-expanded article of  claim 11 , wherein the cured article exhibits an abrasion resistance, as determined by ISO 4649:2017 measured with a load of 10N, within the range 10 mm 3  to 250 mm 3 . 
     
     
         15 . The cured non-expanded article of  claim 11 , wherein the cured article exhibits an elongation at break as determined by ASTM D638 of at least 200%. 
     
     
         16 . The cured non-expanded article of  claim 11 , wherein the cured article exhibits a biobased carbon content, as determined by ASTM D6866-18 Method B, of at least 5%. 
     
     
         17 . An expandable polymer composition comprising the polymer composition of  claim 1  and at least a blowing agent and a peroxide agent. 
     
     
         18 . An expanded article prepared from the expandable polymer composition of  claim 17 . 
     
     
         19 . The expanded article of  claim 18 , wherein the expanded article exhibits a density as determined by ASTM D-792 within the range of 0.05 to 0.9 g/cm 3 . 
     
     
         20 . The expanded article of  claim 18 , wherein the expanded article exhibits an Asker C hardness as determined by ABNT NBR 14455:2015 in the range of 20 to 95 Asker C. 
     
     
         21 . The expanded article of  claim 18 , wherein the expanded article exhibits a permanent compression set as determined by ASTM D395:2016 Method B in the range of 20% to 100%. 
     
     
         22 . The expanded article of  claim 18 , wherein the expanded article exhibits a rebound as determined by ABNT NBR 8619:2015 within the range of 30% to 80%. 
     
     
         23 . The expanded article of  claim 18 , wherein the expanded article exhibits an abrasion resistance as determined by ISO 4649 measured with a load of 5N within the range 40 mm 3  to 700 mm 3 . 
     
     
         24 . The expanded article of  claim 18 , wherein the expanded article exhibits a shrinkage as determined at 70° C.*1 h according to the PFI method between 0.1 and 7%. 
     
     
         25 . The expanded article of  claim 18 , wherein the expanded article exhibits an elongation at break as determined by ASTM D638 of at least 300%. 
     
     
         26 . The expanded article of  claim 18 , wherein the expanded article exhibits a biobased carbon content as determined by ASTM D6866-18 Method B of at least 5%. 
     
     
         27 . The article of  claim 9 , wherein the article is selected from a group consisting of shoe soles, midsoles, outsoles, unisoles, insoles, monobloc sandals, flip flops, full EVA footwear, sportive articles, seals, hoses, gaskets, foams, foam mattresses and automotive parts. 
     
     
         28 . A process for producing a polymer composition, comprising:
 polymerizing ethylene at least partially obtained from a renewable source of carbon with vinyl acetate to produce an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer; and   mixing the ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer with an elastomeric polyolefin to produce an elastomeric ethylene-vinyl acetate.   
     
     
         29 . The process of  claim 28 , wherein the elastomeric polyolefin comprises an ethylene alpha-olefin copolymer and rubber. 
     
     
         30 . The process of  claim 28 , wherein the mixing comprises mixing:
 the EVA copolymer at a percent by weight in the range of 20 wt % to 90 wt %;   an ethylene alpha-olefin copolymer at a percent by weight in the range of 5% to 60%;   a polyorganosiloxane at a percent by weight in the range of 0.1 wt % to 10 wt %;   a plasticizer at a percent by weight in the range of 0.5 wt % to 20 wt %; and   a rubber at a percent by weight in the range of 0.5 wt % to 40 wt %.   
     
     
         31 . The process of  claim 28 , wherein the polymer composition exhibits a biobased carbon content as determined by ASTM D6866-18 Method B of at least 5%. 
     
     
         32 . The process of  claim 28 , wherein the vinyl acetate is at least partially obtained from a renewable source of carbon. 
     
     
         33 . The process of  claim 28 , further comprising:
 fermenting a renewable source of carbon to produce ethanol; and   dehydrating the ethanol to produce ethylene.   
     
     
         34 . The process of  claim 33 , wherein the fermenting produces the ethanol and a mixture of byproducts comprising higher alcohols, and the dehydration produces ethylene and higher alkene impurities, wherein the process further comprises: purifying the ethylene and higher alkene impurities in order to obtain the ethylene. 
     
     
         35 . The process of  claim 33 , wherein the fermenting produces the ethanol and byproducts comprising higher alcohols, wherein the process further comprises: purifying the ethanol and byproducts in order to obtain the ethanol. 
     
     
         36 . The process of  claim 33 , wherein the renewable source of carbon is at least one plant material selected from the group consisting of sugar cane and sugar beet, maple, date palm, sugar palm, sorghum, American agave, corn, wheat, barley, sorghum, rice, potato, cassava, sweet potato, algae, fruit, materials comprising cellulose, wine, materials comprising hemicelluloses, materials comprising lignin, wood, straw, sugarcane bagasse, sugarcane leaves, corn stover, wood residues, paper, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         37 . The process of any of  claim 28 , wherein the process further comprises: curing the polymer composition in the presence of a peroxide agent. 
     
     
         38 . The process of any of  claim 28 , wherein the process further comprises: curing and expanding the polymer composition in the presence of at least a blowing agent and a peroxide agent. 
     
     
         39 . The process of  claim 38 , wherein the curing of the polymer composition occurs in a full or partial presence of oxygen.