Material introduction 

PLA (polylactic acid) biodegradable material refers to a class of materials that are degraded by the action of microorganisms such as bacteria, molds (fungi) and algae that exist in nature. Chinese alias: polylactide (also known as polylactic acid) English name: polylactide, polylactic acid, abbreviated PLA English alias: polytrimethylene carbonate; 1,3-Dioxan-2-one homopolymerMolecular formula: (C3H4O2)n 

PLA polylactic acid uses lactic acid as the main raw material, mainly obtained from cassava, corn, sugarcane and other herbs to obtain starch and sugar content of lactic acid obtained by bacterial fermentation, and finally forms a polymer obtained by polymerization of polylactic acid (PLA). The source of raw materials is sufficient and renewable. 

The entire production process of polylactic acid and polylactic acid fiber does not involve any harmful substances. It is a kind of polymer material with excellent performance, which can be completely decomposed by environmental microorganisms after being discarded, and finally be inorganicized and become an integral part of the carbon cycle in nature. 

Material characteristics

1. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a new type of biodegradable material with good biodegradability. After use, it can be completely degraded by microorganisms in nature, and finally generates carbon dioxide and water, which does not pollute the environment, which is very beneficial to protecting the environment. , is a recognized environmentally friendly material.

2. Polylactic acid (PLA) film has good air permeability, oxygen permeability and carbon dioxide permeability. It also has the characteristics of isolating odor. It is the only biodegradable plastic with excellent antibacterial and antifungal properties.

3. When incinerating polylactic acid (PLA), its combustion calorific value is the same as that of incinerating paper, which is half that of incinerating traditional plastics (such as polyethylene), and incinerating PLA will never release toxic gases such as nitrides and sulfides. . The human body also contains lactic acid in a monomeric form, which indicates the safety of this degradable product.

Natural properties and advantages

1. The pH value is around 6, which is weakly acidic.

2. Inhibition of mites, the inhibition rate of anti-mite performance of the test data is 71.39%, and the conclusion is that it has anti-mite effect.

3. The antibacterial effect is obvious, and the loss rate of Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Escherichia coli is more than 98%. (SGS authoritative testing) 

4. No antibacterial, anti-mite drugs or other chemical substances are added in the production process, which is completely the performance of its natural properties.

5. Natural self-extinguishing: non-flammable, and the oxygen limit index is higher than that of polyester and nylon.

6. The thermal insulation performance is 1.8 times greater than that of high-quality cotton cores. (Test data)

7. Good rebound, strong bulkiness, smooth feel, quick drying and UV resistance. 

Material use

Polylactic acid has good thermal stability,processing temperature is 170 ~ 230 ℃, and it has good solvent resistance. It can be processed in various ways, such as extrusion, spinning, biaxial stretching, injection blow molding. In addition to being biodegradable, products made of polylactic acid have good biocompatibility, gloss, transparency, hand feel and heat resistance, as well as certain bacteria resistance, flame retardancy and UV resistance, so they are very useful. widely. 

Biodegradable materials used in medicine, human organs and other fields can be modified to design and manufacture biodegradable materials without plasticizers, heavy metals and toxic chemicals, bisphenol A, independent of petroleum resources, and safe for food contact; 

The molding process can be selected from injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, and blister molding, which is suitable for household daily necessities, tableware products in contact with food or oral cavity, etc.;It can be widely used as packaging materials, fibers and non-woven fabrics, etc., and is mainly used in clothing (underwear, outerwear), industry (construction, agriculture, forestry, papermaking) and medical and health fields. 

Application Sustainability 

1. Reduce the use of petrochemical materials and reduce carbon emissions 

2. Use natural renewable raw materials (such as: plant starch, sugar cane, straw fiber, etc.)

3. Adopt green and safe manufacturing process

4. Compatible with the existing solid waste management system

5. Can be incinerated - completely clean combustion

6. Can be landfilled - no leachate or toxic and harmful substances

7. Compostable 

8. Can be recycled and processed into monomers or other products

9. Create a good living environment for future generations and improve the quality of life 

PLA degradation indicates 

Compost degradation :PLA can achieve full biodegradation within 180 days under compost degradation conditions, and the final degradation products are carbon dioxide and water. The composting conditions are as follows:The temperature is 58±2℃Humidity is 98% 

There are certain microbial 

landfill degradation :landfill conditions are different from composting conditions, so the degradation rate of PLA is slower, generally taking 2-5 years, but the degradation products do not pollute groundwater, do not damage plant growth, and do not waste arable land. degradation.Incineration : PLA has a small combustion calorific value, and the complete combustion products are carbon dioxide and water, which does not pollute the air. 

Industry status and prospects

The price of PLA before large-scale industrialization is $1000/kg. Later, large-scale production was achieved through the industrialization research of Professor Ramani Narayan's research group at Michigan State University. The technology is now industrialized by Natureworks. The largest manufacturer of PLA is NatureWorks in the United States, followed by China's Hisun Bio, whose current output is 100,000 tons and 5,000 tons respectively. PLA has many applications and can be used in extrusion, injection molding, film drawing, spinning and other fields. PLA fiber uses natural and renewable plant resources as raw materials, which reduces the dependence on traditional petroleum resources and meets the requirements of sustainable development of the international community. It has both the advantages of synthetic fibers and natural fibers, and at the same time has the characteristics of complete natural circulation and biodegradation. Compared with conventional fiber materials, corn fiber has many unique properties, so it has been widely valued by the international textile industry.