| abstract |
A process of producing a thermoplastic starch/polymer blend involves introducing dry starch into a twin-screw extruder at a first location along the extruder, introducing a plasticizer into the twin-screw extruder at a second location along the extruder downstream of the first location to form a starch paste and then gelatinizing the starch paste in the extruder to form thermoplastic starch, and, introducing dry polymer at ambient temperature into the twin-screw extruder at a third location along the extruder downstream of the second location to form a blend with the thermoplastic starch in the extruder. |