POLYLACTIC

ACID
(PLA)
 BACKGROUND
known as a polymer for many years in medical
applications, such as stitches, orthopedic or galenical
pins.
This sector of application was developed on the basis of
the biocompatibility between humans and this polymer,
which is obtained from lactic acid.
Due to technological developments and optimizations of
the procedure, PLA is now available on commodity
markets, such as packaging, disposable objects, fibres
and more.
 INTRODUCTION
PLA are known as bioplastics that are derived from
biomass.
Typically are made using lactic acid as the starting
material for polymer manufacture.
The lactic acid comes from fermenting various sources
natural sugars.
It is derived from renewable resources like corn starch or
sugar cane.
Poly lactic Acid is biodegradable and has characteristics
similar to polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), or
polystyrene (PS).
High versatile thermoplastic polymer.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF PLA
PLA is classified as a thermoplastic polyester (as
opposed to thermoset).
Thermoplastic materials become liquid at their melting
point (150-160 degrees Celsius in the case of PLA).
Major useful attribute about thermoplastics is that
they can be heated to their melting point, cooled, and
reheated again without significant degradation.
Instead of burning, thermoplastics like Polylactic Acid
liquefy, which allows them to be easily injection
molded and then subsequently recycled.
THERMOPLASTIC
PROPERTIES OF PLA
Density 1.210 1.430 gcm-1

Typical Injection Molding 178 C - 240 C

Temperature
Melting Point 150 C - 160C

Solubility in Water Insoluble in water

Chemical Formula (C3H402)n

 IS PLA TOXIC?

In solid form, no. In fact, Polylactic Acid (PLA) is

biodegradable. It is often used in food handling and
medical implants that biodegrade within the body over
time. Like most plastics, it has the potential to be toxic if
inhaled and/or absorbed into the skin or eyes as a vapor
or liquid during manufacturing processes.
 ADVANTAGES OF PLA
High rigidity
Very good optical properties in terms of transparency

and gloss
Good fat, oil and flavour barrier properties
Intermediate vapour permeability level, which gives it a
breathability level that enables use in packaging for
ready-to-eat vegetables
Gas barrier properties (O2, CO2), which means it can
be used as an intermediate for various consumer
polymers
Wetting tension, enabling easier printing
Good twist retention, used in sweets packaging
 DISADVANTAGES OF PLA
PLA has a relatively low glass transition temperature
(typically between 111 and 145 F). This makes it fairly
unsuitable for high temperature applications
Thermoset plastics can only be heated once (typically
during the injection molding process).
If you tried to heat a thermoset plastic to a high
temperature a second time it would simply burn.
 EXAMPLE COMPANIES
TORAY Global
- ECODEAR (based on poly lactic acid derived from
plants, rather than petroleum and other fossil
resources)
HITACHI
- developed poly lactic acid (PLA)
NatureWorks
-primary producer in United States
Evonik Industries (Germany)