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As the increase in environmental awareness, more and more businesses and consumers are starting to seek sustainable materials, and polylactic acid (PLA), as a bio-based plastic, is becoming the focus of attention.It can not only come from plant raw materials, but also has excellent biodegradability, which gives it a wide range of application potential in all walks of life.However, are the characteristics and manufacturing methods of PLA materials enough to overthrow the dominance of traditional plastics?
PLA, or polylactic acid, is a thermoplastic polyester, mainly fermented by plant starch (such as corn or sugar cane), and its main ingredient is lactic acid.
The manufacturing process of polylactic acid mainly includes the polymerization of lactic acid, which is a relatively simple chemical reaction.Manufacturers usually use cyclic diesters (corrugation isomers of lactic acid) for cyclic polymerization to achieve high molecular weight PLA.Most of this process uses metal catalysts, which makes the produced PLA exhibit different stereoisomer properties, which also gives PLA diversity in physical and chemical properties.
PLA's physical properties range from amorphous polymers to semi-crystals to highly crystalline polymers with varying mechanical properties and thermal stability.
Although PLA is widely used in 3D printing, it has excellent performance during printing due to its low melting point and good interlayer adhesion.However, its thermal stability is relatively poor, which limits the application range of PLA and makes many users still prefer traditional plastics such as PET or PVC when choosing materials.
Environmental Impact of CPLA
A major advantage of PLA is its environmentally friendly properties.According to multiple studies, under industrial composting conditions, PLA can degrade about 50% within 60 days, and its biodegradability is worthy of attention compared to other petroleum-based plastics.However, the degradation rate of PLA in a home composting environment is significantly reduced, which makes its environmentally friendly controversial.
According to EN 13432 and ASTM D6400 standards, PLA is generally considered to be compostable under industrial compost conditions, but is not effective in household compost.
PLA application prospect
PLA has shown potential in many industries, especially in packaging and disposable products.According to the latest data, about 35% of PLA production in 2022 is used for flexible packaging, while 30% is used for hard packaging.
In addition, PLA is also widely used in consumer products, such as disposable tableware and food packaging.Compared with traditional materials, PLA can not only reduce environmental burden, but also meet consumers' demand for compostable products to a certain extent.
The advantage of PLA is that it can produce degradable products, which makes it a new alternative to many industries.
Technical Challenges and Innovation
Although PLA has great potential, it still faces many technical challenges.For example, its brittleness and low ductility limit its use in high strength applications.Therefore, how to improve the mechanical properties of PLA has become a hot topic of continuous research.In addition, scholars are also exploring the possibility of mixing PLA with other substances to improve performance.For example, composite materials with polyhydroxybutyric acid (PHB) and microcrystalline cellulose show significantly improved mechanical properties, making PLA more competitive in the use of food packaging.
In addition to physical characteristics, PLA processing technology is also constantly developing.With the advancement of 3D printing technology, the application prospects of PLA are more extensive.People can improve their strength and toughness by changing the structure of PLA or adding chain extenders. Such innovations help PLA work better in different fields.
Future Outlook
In the context of pursuing sustainable development and reducing plastic pollution, the market demand of PLA is expected to continue to grow.Enterprise investment and technological innovation in PLA will further improve its performance and give it a bigger stage in environmentally friendly applications.However, further observation and evaluation are still needed on whether traditional plastics can be completely replaced.
How will the scope of PLA use evolve over time?
