CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This patent application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/374706, filed September 6, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

[0002] This application generally relates to natural materials suitable for use in the manufacture of biodegradable containers and packaging, and, in particular, to articles comprising beeswax and methods of making the same.

Description of the Related Art

[0003] Plastic is one of the most widely used and cheapest materials in the world today. Initially developed in part to relieve constraints imposed by the scarcity of natural resources, plastics are desirable for their light weight, low cost of production, and ability to be molded into almost any shape. Plastic containers are common in industries including beverage and food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries.

[0004] Over time, consumers’ perceptions of plastics have become less positive. Several factors have contributed, including a growing awareness of the dangers from additives such as phthalates and parabens and associated chemical leeching, environmental issues like the accumulation of single-use plastics in landfills and in the oceans, and insufficient plastic recycling opportunities.

[0005] This shift has necessitated the exploration of eco-friendly plastic-alternative materials that can provide similar or better properties. For example, natural materials such as wood, bamboo, and cardboard are renewable and compostable. However, such materials still have a significant environmental footprint due to the energy required to grow the raw material and make and transport the goods made from such materials. Other natural materials more recently being tapped for use as plastic-alternatives include mushroom-based packaging being used to replace Styrofoam, seaweed-based packaging, grape waste being turned into imitation leather, and others. Repurposing organic waste material from other industries and converting it into an effective plastic-alternative material is of particular interest, due to its further advantages of reducing the energy and resources involved in recycling.

[0006] Beeswax is a natural wax produced by worker bees, which is secreted from wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of the bees. The wax is initially clear and colorless but becomes opaque and more yellow or brown upon incorporation of pollen, pollen oils and propolis. Bees shape the beeswax into scales, which are used to build honeycomb to store honey, brood comb to store bee eggs, and burr comb to provide structural support to the hive. It takes about 1 million scales to create approximately 1 kilogram of beeswax. One kilogram of honeycomb beeswax is estimated to be sufficient to store between 22 and 30 kg of honey. When beekeepers extract honey, wax caps from each honeycomb cell are cut off, and unwanted burr comb and brood comb are either discarded or rendered for further use.

[0007] Beeswax is edible, with negligible toxicity similar to plant waxes. It is insoluble in water and resistant to hydrolysis. Beeswax mainly comprises long-chain esters of fatty acids and alcohols. Long-chain can describe carbon chains of at least 12 carbons in length. Constituents of beeswax include palmitate, palmitoleate, cerotic acid and oleate esters of SO- 32 carbon long-chain aliphatic alcohols. Beeswax has a melting point of about 64.5°C (148°F) but becomes soft and pliable between about 35 and 40°C (95 to 104°F) and becomes brittle below 18°C (64°F).

[0008] Tn 2020, over 62,000 tons of beeswax was produced worldwide. Cosmetic uses of beeswax demand high grade beeswax which is pure and free of propolis. Current industrial uses of beeswax include functioning as lubrication, coatings, and wax castings. Beeswax is also known to be used for making candles, although often may be combined with or replaced by paraffin as a less expensive alternative. Approximately 20% of commercially produced beeswax is otherwise discarded as waste.

[0009] There is, therefore, a substantial need in the industry for acceptable natural organic materials which do not pose environmental problems. There is also growing interest in repurposing natural wastage from other industries, such as hive waste beeswax from honey farms. The present invention is directed to meeting this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0010] Tn a first embodiment, disclosed herein is a composition comprising shellac and beeswax, wherein the weight ratio of shellac to beeswax is at least about 0.5 to about 99.5, and wherein the composition does not comprise woven or non-woven fabric, linen, paper, rubber, plant-derived pulp or fibers or starch, hydrocolloids, metal, plastic, or other synthetic compounds

[0011] In a second embodiment, disclosed herein is the composition of embodiment 1 , wherein the weight ratio of shellac to beeswax is no more than about 5 to about 95.

[0012] In a third embodiment, disclosed herein is the composition of embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the beeswax is selected from commercially produced beeswax.

[0013] In a fourth embodiment, disclosed herein is a composition of any one of embodiments 1 to 3, consisting exclusively of beeswax and shellac.

[0014] In a fifth embodiment, disclosed herein is the composition of any one of embodiments 1 to 3, wherein the composition further comprises at least 1% activated charcoal powder by weight of the total weight of the composition.

[0015] In a sixth embodiment, disclosed herein in the composition of embodiment 5, wherein the composition comprises no more than about 5% activated charcoal powder by weight of the total weight of the composition.

[0016] In a seventh embodiment, disclosed herein is the composition of any one of embodiments 1 to 6, further comprising one or more seeds.

[0017] In an eighth embodiment, disclosed herein is the composition of embodiment 7, wherein the one or more seeds are selected from lavender, marigolds, sunflowers, asters, daisies, or a combination thereof.

[0018] In a ninth embodiment, disclosed herein is the composition of any one of embodiments 1 to 8, further comprising a coating layer of shellac, wherein the coating layer of shellac is at least about 0.5% by weight of the total weight of the composition.

[0019] In a tenth embodiment, disclosed herein is the composition of embodiment 9, wherein the coating layer of shellac is no more than about 2.5% by weight of the total weight of the composition. [0020] Tn an 1 1th embodiment, disclosed herein is the composition of embodiment 10, wherein the coating layer of shellac is about 1.5% by weight of the total weight of the composition.

[0021] In a 12th embodiment, disclosed herein is a container made of the composition of any one of embodiments 1 to 11, comprising ajar and a lid.

[0022] In a 13th embodiment, disclosed herein is the container of embodiment 12, wherein the jar and the lid comprise threads for screwing together to form a seal.

[0023] In a 14th embodiment, disclosed herein is a method of making a beeswaxbased container, comprising: preparing a liquid composition, comprising melting solid beeswax into liquid beeswax, and mixing shellac into the melted beeswax to form a liquid composition, wherein the weight ratio of shellac to beeswax is between about 0.5 to about 99.5 and about 5 to about 95; pouring the liquid composition into a mold; waiting a sufficient period of time for the liquid composition to solidify into a solid composition; and removing the solid composition from the mold.

[0024] In a 15th embodiment, disclosed herein is the method of embodiment 14, wherein the step of preparing the liquid composition further comprises mixing activated charcoal powder into the liquid composition, wherein the activated charcoal powder is between about 1% and about 5% by weight of the total weight of the liquid composition.

[0025] In an 16th embodiment, disclosed herein is the method of embodiment 14 or 15, wherein the step of preparing the liquid composition further comprises straining the liquid composition to remove solids.

[0026] In a 17th embodiment, disclosed herein is the method of any one of embodiments 14 to 16, further comprising coating the solid composition with a coating layer of shellac, wherein the coating layer of shellac is between about 0.5% and about 2.5% by weight of the total weight of the composition.

[0027] In an 18th embodiment, disclosed herein is the method of any one of embodiments 14 to 17, further comprising: using a bee-shaped mold; pouring the liquid composition into the bee-shaped mold; waiting a sufficient period of time for the liquid composition to solidify into a bee-shaped solid composition; removing the bee-shaped solid composition from the bee-shaped mold; and bonding the bee-shaped composition to the container. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Described herein are embodiments of compositions and methods to generate beeswax-based materials that can be used as alternatives to plastics. Such compositions can be molded into containers and packaging materials, which may be suitable for packaging food products, cosmetics, and other products.

[0029] Disclosed herein includes a composition comprises beeswax and shellac. In some embodiments, the composition may further include activated charcoal powder to impart color without substantially altering other physical properties of the composition. In some embodiments, the composition does not comprise woven or non-woven fabric, linen, paper, rubber, plant-derived pulp or fibers or starch, hydrocolloids, metal or plastic. In some embodiments, the composition consists entirely of beeswax and shellac. In some embodiments, the composition comprises beeswax, shellac, and other natural ingredients. In some embodiments, the composition does not comprise any synthetic compounds, such as polytetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene terephthalate or polyethylene.

[0030] In some embodiments, the composition comprises a weight ratio of shellac to beeswax of about 0.5 to about 99.5, about 1 to about 99, about 1.5 to about 98.5, 2 to about 98, 2.5 to about 97.5, 3 to about 97, about 3.5 to about 96.5, about 4 to about 96, about 4.5 to about 95.5, or about 5 to about 95. In some embodiments, the composition further comprises up to about 1%, about 2%, about 3%, about 4% or about 5% of activated charcoal powder.

[0031] The composition described herein may be described as imparting heat resistance, water resistance, durability, compostability and/or biodegradability to a molded form comprising the composition. In some embodiments, the composition may impart sufficient strength so as to not require additional structural additives.

[0032] In some embodiments, the composition may be molded into a container with a wall thickness of about 1 mm. In other embodiments, the wall thickness may be double or triple this value to provide increased structural integrity and rigidity.

[0033] In some embodiments, a product formed from the composition may be embedded with seeds, wherein when the product is planted in the ground, the seeds may grow into plants. In some embodiments, the seeds embedded in the product can be selected for plants that encourage bee pollination. Tn some embodiments, the seeds embedded in the product can be selected from lavender, marigolds, sunflowers, asters, daisies, or a combination thereof.

[0034] The composition described herein may be used to make a product such as a container with a base and a top. In some embodiments, the containers may be used for packaging or food storage. In some embodiments, the containers may be used for packaging honey. In some embodiments, the containers may be used for packaging preservatives. In some embodiments, the containers may be used for packaging cosmetics. In some embodiments, the containers may be used for packaging liquids. In some embodiments, the containers may be used to store honey or beeswax-based materials, which is not intended to be limiting.

[0035] Pure beeswax may be melted and molded into various shapes, but remains soft, easily marked or damaged and can only withstand certain handling. In some embodiments, the composition comprises a combination of beeswax and shellac. In some embodiments, the product further comprises an outer layer of shellac. The resulting articles made by the composition provide increased sturdiness and durability compared to beeswax alone.

[0036] In some embodiments, a product formed from the composition may be molded into various shapes which can impart additional features to the product. For example, in some embodiments, a product as described herein may include a decorative shape, such as, e.g., a bee, a beehive, a flower, a decorative mark, and/or an identifying mark. In some embodiments, a decorative shape may be formed by a positive-space casting mold, which may be part of a larger design mold or may be formed separately and attached to another molded part after formation. In other embodiments, a decorative shape may be formed by a negativespace casting mold, which may be part of a larger design mold, may be formed separately and attached to another molded part after formation, and/or may be carved away from a molded product.

[0037] In additional embodiments, the decorative shape may impart a scannable feature to the product, e.g., can be an image that can be scanned and recognized to direct a user to a particular website.

[0038] An embodiment of a method for producing a beeswax-based product is disclosed herein. Raw unprocessed beeswax is melted in a double boiler to a liquid form. The liquid beeswax is removed from heat and an amount of shellac is added and mixed into the liquid beeswax to form the liquid composition. Activated charcoal powder is optionally added and mixed into the liquid composition. The liquid composition is optionally strained to remove any solid impurities. The liquid composition is poured into a mold and left at room temperature to solidify and dry. The solid composition is removed from the mold and may optionally be further coated with a layer of shellac.

[0039] In some embodiments, the weight ratio of shellac to beeswax in the liquid composition is about 0.5 to about 99.5, about 1 to about 99, about 1.5 to about 98.5, about 2 to about 98, about 2.5 to about 97.5, about 3 to about 97, about 3.5 to about 96.5, about 4 to about 96, about 4.5 to about 95.5, or about 5 to about 95.

[0040] In some embodiments, the percent by weight of activated charcoal powder to liquid composition of shellac and beeswax is 0%, up to about 1%, up to about 2%, up to about 3%, up to about 4% or up to about 5%.

[0041] In some embodiments, the solidifying and drying time of the liquid composition is approximately 4 hours, which is not intended to be limiting.

[0042] In some embodiments, the coating layer of shellac is added at 0%, up to about 0.5%, up to about 1%, up to about 1.5%, up to about 2%, or up to about 2.5% percent by weight of the total weight of the composition.

[0043] The molds used to prepare products from the compositions described herein may include commercially available or custom made silicone molds, or molds made from other materials, which are not intended to be limiting. The products prepared from the compositions described herein may include jar bases and tops, and may further include jar bases and tops which can be sealed by a screw mechanism, which is not intended to be limiting.

[0044] Various evaluations of the functionality of the compositions disclosed herein have been conducted as described in the following examples:

Example 1: Durability

[0045] The composition of beeswax and shellac and the composition of beeswax, shellac and charcoal have been used to form jars with a base and a screw top. The jars were opened and closed over 1000 times without observed changes in shape or form or damage to the threads. The jars were dropped from a height of 2 meters (approximately 6.5 ft) without observed change in shape or form or damage.

Example 2: Heat Resistance [0046] The composition of beeswax and shellac and the composition of beeswax, shellac and charcoal have been used to form jars with a base. The jars were microwaved for up to two minutes at full power without observed change in shape or form or damage. The combination of shellac and beeswax maintains a similar melting point as beeswax.

Example 3: Water Resistance

[0047] The composition of beeswax and shellac and the composition of beeswax, shellac and charcoal have been used to form jars with a base and a screw top. The jars were filled partially or fully with water. Turning the jars upside-down revealed no leaks, indicating a water-tight and air-tight seal. The jars filled partially or fully with water were stored for a period of up to 12 months with no observed change in liquid volume or observed change in shape or form of the jar, indicating water resistance over a time frame of at least one year.

Example 4: Decomposition

[0048] Beeswax and shellac are animal-based waxes that can take as little as two weeks or up to two months to break down in a compost bin, garden, or landfill. The composition of beeswax and shellac and embedded seeds have been buried in a garden and left for a period of two months and show a similar decomposition rate. As the composition of beeswax and shellac decomposes, bees are attracted to the area where the composition is buried, and as plants grow from the seeds, more pollinators are attracted to the area where the composition is buried.