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Polylactic acid (PLA) help please (1 Viewer)

zacdawg

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May 3, 2007
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2008
Hey im sure theres other threads on this but i cant find any, is there any good sites you guys know that could help me find more info on their properties? cheers
 

Undermyskin

Self-delusive
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LOLZ. I choose it as my biopol to do research. You can start from HSC online. I remember I got some info firstly from there.

Compostable bag (product)

Environmental friendly with 2 stages of decomposition. and st else.
 

xD LOL xD

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zacdawg said:
Hey im sure theres other threads on this but i cant find any, is there any good sites you guys know that could help me find more info on their properties? cheers
:eek:
How could you not find any? Did you put PLA into "search"??
It's worth the effort looking around ;).
 

Marley999

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Okay, i will give a little run down. im a bit scratchy on this my self, though it may help. :eek:

Polylactic Acid (PLA) is a biopolymer.

Bio mass such as waste from corn, potatoe, and maize crops contains starch.
Starch can be broken down using enzymes into simple sugars. Lactose, a simple sugar, can be fermented by lactic bacteria to produce lactic acid.

Lactic Acid then undergoes condensation polymerisation to form PLA. It now has properties similar to PET and is very strong though is also biodegradable.

structure is as follows:

......H....H...O
......|.....|....||
H---C---C---C
......|.....|.....|
..... H....OH.OH

note remeber to draw the bonds as joining to the oxygen NOT the hydrogen for (OH)
and the dots are only their so all the 'H', 'OH' and '|' dont move all up against the left...


Advantages of PLA - Biodegradable
- Grease Resistant
- Food Contact Acceptable
- Oil Resistant
- Clarity, High
- Crystalline
- Heat Seal, Good
- Machinable
- General Purpose

Typical PLA Applications - Cups
- Packaging
- Containers, Food
- Food Service Applications
- Bottles
- Tableware, Disposable
- Non-wovens
- Outdoor Applications
- Film, Bi-axially Oriented

Lots of PLA technical stats at
http://www.ides.com/generics/PLA.htm

ummmm may get back to you. i chose this biopolymer as well.
good luck
 
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