The hottest PLA has the most large-scale industria

PLA: the most large-scale industrialization advantage

it has been 30 years since the simultaneous development of Biodegradation Technology, but the proportion of the production and application of biodegradable materials in the total plastic is still very low. Polylactic acid (PLA), as a bio based plastic with the most mature industrialization, the largest output, the most widely used and the lowest price, is the most promising degradation material to shake the traditional position of petroleum based plastics in the future, and will become the main force of bio based plastics. At present, PLA plastic bags, tableware, golf pins and other products have been circulated in the market and entered thousands of households

unique industrialization advantages

according to Chen Xuesi, a researcher at Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PLA materials have many advantages, and among bio based materials, it is the kind of materials that are most likely to form large-scale commercial production in the near future. As the only transparent bio based material, PLA can replace traditional plastics in many fields with good performance, and it can be composted or landfilled after being discarded, 100% biodegradable into CO2 and water

Dr. Zhen Guangming, general manager of praker Greater China, said that lactic acid occupies the best strategic position in the metabolic pathway. The theoretical yield of lactic acid produced by microorganisms can reach 100%, so polylactic acid has obvious cost advantages over other biomaterials. It is understood that the current price of PLA is about 20000 yuan/ton, which is more than half cheaper than BASF aliphatic aromatic copolyester products ecoflex and PHA and other bioplastics

according to Zhen Guangming, in 2010, there will be many thousand ton polylactic acid plants operating in China and abroad, and the industrialization process of PLA will be accelerated. It is understood that at present, in addition to NatureWorks, which already has a commercial scale PLA with an annual output of 140000 tons, many companies such as Teijin, Mitsui, synbra, futerro, etc. have built or are building pilot plants with an annual output of 1000 tons. In China, Zhejiang Haizheng polylactic acid pilot plant with an annual output of 5000 tons has been put into operation and is currently planning to build a 10000 ton plant. In addition, Yisheng Guanghua, Nantong Jiuding, Changjiang chemical fiber and other companies have entered the pilot production stage of PLA. According to Zhen Guangming's estimation, by 2020, the global PLA market may reach tens of millions of tons, and China may reach 3million ~ 5million tons. PLA will continue to maintain its leading scale in bio based materials

comprehensive promotion needs technology first.

Chen Xuesi believes that China's PLA industry has resource advantages. With the participation of many enterprises, the industrialization of PLA is progressing smoothly, but the price of PLA is still higher than that of petroleum based plastics. To vigorously promote PLA, we must reduce the price in order to improve the competitiveness of PLA products. Zhen Guangming pointed out that PLA has the weakness of poor heat resistance, low impact resistance and low gas resistance, which limits its popularization and application. At present, it is mainly used in low-end food packaging

Chen Xuesi said that to improve product performance, it is necessary to strengthen the mechanical properties and plasticity of products, and improve the toughness by modification. At present, the technology and equipment level of bulk polymerization, lactide cracking preparation and purification in China have been greatly improved, and innovative achievements continue to emerge. The technical level has surpassed Japan and Germany, second only to the United States. In the PLA polymerization research, Changchun Yinghua Institute has developed a crystallization nucleating agent with independent intellectual property rights, which can accelerate the crystallization speed, effectively improve the heat resistance of the product, and make its upper limit of temperature resistance up to 100 ℃. In the application of PLA, the main research focus at present is to strengthen its mechanical properties by blending the resin, and improve its temperature resistance, toughening, blow molding and film-forming properties by blending with other materials, such as adding polybutylene succinate (PBS), ecoflex, cellulose, lignin, montmorillonite, talc powder, hydroxyapatite, etc. Polylactic acid can also be copolymerized with polyethylene glycol and used as drug delivery carrier and tissue engineering cell culture scaffold, showing a good prospect in pharmaceutical engineering and tissue engineering applications

in terms of reducing production costs, Chen Xuesi pointed out that if it can be provided with the opportunity to realize that "only changing materials can achieve such purposes", improving yield, reducing energy consumption and increasing output are the key factors to reduce costs. On the one hand, it is necessary to improve the purity and relative molecular weight of PLA, screen and optimize catalysts. For example, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry has developed a non-toxic stannous benzoate catalyst with independent intellectual property rights, which shows good reaction activity and stability; On the other hand, we should improve the production scale of PLA, develop the production potential of existing equipment, control production costs, improve processes, and reduce energy consumption in AK

expand the scope of application

Zhen Guangming believes that while paying attention to the basic research of PLA, we must strengthen the commercial promotion of PLA and expand the scope of application of PLA. China should focus on strengthening the research on modification, application, certification, sales and intellectual property protection in the downstream of PLA industrial chain, develop blending modification technology, improve processing technology, establish production and marketing chain, enter the packaging of high value-added electronic products, and open foreign markets with high-quality products

Chen Xuesi told that from the perspective of the development of PLA industry at home and abroad, the market demand for PLA surged with the decline of production cost and the improvement of performance of a method of mold less blowing of green or tube billets to form tube film. Under the guidance of the market, the application scope of PLA has been gradually expanded, and the application fields have penetrated into many fields, such as food packaging, medical materials, general plastics, man-made fibers and so on. The future research fields of PLA will mainly focus on improving the fermentation yield, reducing the cost of L-lactic acid, improving the production efficiency of lactic acid polymerization, carrying out research on multiple varieties and applications of PLA, and producing lactic acid from non grain crops such as cassava and agricultural wastes

according to Chen Xuesi, at present, many European and American countries have clear regulations on the use of degradable plastics, while the domestic legislation on the use of environmentally friendly materials is relatively backward, and the PLA industry lacks necessary guidance. He suggested that the state should enact relevant laws and regulations as soon as possible, support the production enterprises of bio based materials, strengthen the promotion and application in the fields of automobiles, household appliances and so on, and create conditions for PLA materials to enter the market in an all-round way

note: the reprinted content is indicated with the source. The reprint is for the purpose of transmitting more information, and does not mean to agree with its views or confirm the authenticity of its content