Patent Publication Number: US-2010113652-A1

Title: Environmentally-Friendly Shoe Bottom

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an environmentally-friendly shoe bottom, and especially to an environmentally-friendly shoe bottom generated using agriculturally waste cornstalk, wheat stalk, rice straw, and rice bran. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     For recent years, along with continual progress of science and technology, sole materials have not been limited to leather, rubber and so on. Presently, various kinds of sole materials may be bought at markets, with different designs, such as rubber, thermoplastic rubber, polyurethane or thermoplastic polyurethane and so on. Thermoplastic rubber is applied to sole materials more and more widely because of its price predominance and advantages. However, current TPR technical resource is still traditional at home and abroad and it is a traditional industry mainly based on TPE and calcium carbonate, which components still include some substances harmful to human. For example, chemicals calcium carbonate and zinc stearate are added to TPR, wherein zinc stearate generates unpleasant smell after combusting, and some residues are remained after combusting chemicals calcium. So the TPR produced by the traditional industry will relieve micro amount of chemical smell of zinc stearate after combusting. 
     When the things are dissolved in water to decompose after they are combusted, there are some residues (i.e. deposition) which can&#39;t decompose. However, now my company is researching to utilize the things such as cornstalk, wheat stalk, rice straw, and rice bran, abandoned by peasants after reaping, to replace calcium carbonate and zinc stearate included in components of the traditional TPR. Such TPR not only has no effect to the original physical properties of the product, but also may remove harmful chemical substances. Further, reusing the things abandoned by peasants after reaping to achieve the purposes of protecting ecological environment and efficiently utilizing the waste resource. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The subject of the present invention is to provide an environmentally-friendly shoe bottom, which mainly uses the agriculturally waste cornstalk, wheat stalk, rice straw, and rice bran to replace calcium carbonate and zinc stearate included in the traditional TPR, still retaining the original physical properties of the TPR. 
     THE TECHNICAL SOLUTION OF THE INVENTION IS 
     soaking cornstalks and wheat stalks in clear water, then bleaching them, then drying them by sun and then crushing the dried cornstalks and wheat stalks together with the rice bran and rice straws into mixed fragments; die casting at a high temperature the mixed fragments together with TPE, PS, PE and softening oil to become shoe bottom. 
     A another process is that further milling the mixed fragments to be mixed powder, then die casting at a high temperature the mixed power together with TPE, PS, PE and softening oil to become shoe bottom 
     the temperature of die casting at a high temperature being 100 to 250° C. and its heating time being 10 to 20 minutes; 
     the fineness of the power milling being 600 to 800 meshes; 
     each component having a weight ratio of as follows: 
     thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) 50% to 60%, polystyrene (PS) 10% to 20%, polyethylene (PE) 2% to 5%, softening oil 10% to 20%, cornstalk 2% to 8%, wheat stalk 2% to 8%, rice straw 2% to 8%, and rice bran 2% to 8%. 
     The combined percent of the cornstalk, the wheat stalk, the rice straw and the rice bran is ≦28%. 
     Advantageous effects of the invention are: that the invention processes the wheat stalk, rice straw, and rice bran, abandoned by peasants after reaping, to replace calcium carbonate and zinc stearate included in the traditional TPR material, which protects the ecological environment and efficiently utilizes the waste resource, and brings additional income to peasants; and that because unpleasant smell and residues may be generated after calcium carbonate and zinc stearate are combusted, but no residues and harmful smell may remain after crops are combusted, the invention avoids the harmful aspects of these chemicals calcium carbonate and zinc stearate to human, and meanwhile the TPR produced by the invention also retain the original physical properties of the traditional TPR. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is further described in detail by following embodiments, wherein these embodiments are just used to illuminate the invention, and not to limit the scope of the invention. 
     Embodiment 1 
     Soak in clear water, bleach, dry by sun and then crush the recovered cornstalk and wheat stalk; then mill the crushed cornstalk and wheat stalk together with the rice bran and rice straw into powder; die cast at a high temperature, pump into tablets and mold the milled powder materials or the raw materials which aren&#39;t milled into powder material, together with TPE, PS, PE and the softening oil; 
     the temperature of die casting at a high temperature is 100° C. and its heating time is 20 minutes; 
     the fineness of the power milling is 600 meshes; 
     each component has a weight ratio of as follows: 
     TPE 50%, PS 10%, PE 5%, the softening oil 20%, the cornstalk 4%, the wheat stalk 3%, the rice straw 3%, and the rice bran 3%. 
     Embodiment 2 
     Soak in clear water, bleach, dry by sun and then crush the recovered cornstalk and wheat stalk; then mill the crushed cornstalk and wheat stalk together with the rice bran and rice straw into powder; die cast at a high temperature, pump into tablets and mold the milled powder materials or the raw materials which aren&#39;t milled into powder material, together with TPE, PS, PE and the softening oil; 
     the temperature of die casting at a high temperature is 150° C. and its heating time is 15 minutes; 
     the fineness of the power milling is 700 meshes; 
     each component has a weight ratio of as follows: 
     TPE 60%, PS 20%, PE 2%, the softening oil 10%, the cornstalk 2%, the wheat stalk 2%, the rice straw 2%, and the rice bran 2%. 
     Embodiment 3 
     Soak in clear water, bleach, dry by sun and then crush the recovered cornstalk and wheat stalk; then mill the crushed cornstalk and wheat stalk together with the rice bran and rice straw into powder; die cast at a high temperature, pump into tablets and mold the milled powder materials or the raw materials which aren&#39;t milled into powder material, together with TPE, PS, PE and the softening oil; 
     the temperature of die casting at a high temperature is 200° C. and its heating time is 10 minutes; 
     the fineness of the power milling is 800 meshes; 
     each component has a weight ratio of as follows: 
     TPE 55%, PS 15%, PE 3%, the softening oil 15%, the cornstalk 3%, the wheat stalk 3%, the rice straw 3%, and the rice bran 3%. 
     Embodiment 4 
     Soak in clear water, bleach, dry by sun and then crush the recovered cornstalk and wheat stalk; then mill the crushed cornstalk and wheat stalk together with the rice bran and rice straw into powder; die cast at a high temperature, pump into tablets and mold the milled powder materials or the raw materials which aren&#39;t milled into powder material, together with TPE, PS, PE and the softening oil; 
     the temperature of die casting at a high temperature is 250° C. and its heating time is 10 minutes; 
     the fineness of the power milling is 700 meshes; 
     each component has a weight ratio of as follows: 
     TPE 50%, PS 12%, PE 3%, the softening oil 10%, the cornstalk 8%, the wheat stalk 7%, the rice straw 5%, and the rice bran 5%. 
     Embodiment 5 
     Soak in clear water, bleach, dry by sun and then crush the recovered cornstalk and wheat stalk; then mill the crushed cornstalk and wheat stalk together with the rice bran and rice straw into powder; die cast at a high temperature, pump into tablets and mold the milled powder materials or the raw materials which aren&#39;t milled into powder material, together with TPE, PS, PE and the softening oil; 
     the temperature of die casting at a high temperature is 200° C. and its heating time is 15 minutes; 
     the fineness of the power milling is 600 meshes; 
     each component has a weight ratio of as follows: 
     TPE 53%, PS 10%, PE 4%, the softening oil 10%, the cornstalk 4%, the wheat stalk 3%, the rice straw 8%, and the rice bran 8%. 
     Embodiment 6 
     Soak in clear water, bleach, dry by sun and then crush the recovered cornstalk and wheat stalk; then mill the crushed cornstalk and wheat stalk together with the rice bran and rice straw into powder; die cast at a high temperature, pump into tablets and mold the milled powder materials or the raw materials which aren&#39;t milled into powder material, together with TPE, PS, PE and the softening oil; 
     the temperature of die casting at a high temperature is 150° C. and its heating time is 18 minutes; 
     the fineness of the power milling is 700 meshes; 
     each component has a weight ratio of as follows: 
     TPE 53%, PS 11%, PE 4%, the softening oil 13%, the cornstalk 4%, the wheat stalk 8%, the rice straw 4%, and the rice bran 3%.