Polydactic acid fibers

D W FARRINGTON, Consultant, UK, J LUNT, S DAVIES, Nature Works LLC, USA and R S BLACKBURN, University of Leeds, UK 

This chapter will review the chemistry of PLA and will discuss the commercial manufacturing process that confirms its position as a viable material for many applications in both the fibers and the plastics industries. It will review the various properties of the polymer and consider the fiber properties that make it attractive to the commercial sectors into which it is being developed today. Recognizing that this is very much a new polymer with its own characteristics and processing requirements, the current status 

1 Production of lactic acid from renewable resources. 

Presently, the cheapest and most abundant source of sugar is dextrose (glucose) from corn. The land mass necessary for feedstock production is minimal. Producing 500,000 tonnes of PLA requires less than 0.5% of the 

The polymer is formed either by (1) direct condensation of lactic acid or (2) via the cyclic intermediate dimer (lactide), through a ring opening process (Fig. 62)  

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T.Ochi, Y. Maeda, and H. Ohme, Polymer alloy fibers with good biodegradability and abrasion resistance consisting of blends comprising polydactic acid) and polyacetals, Japanese patent JP 2003227037 A2, assigned to Toray Industries, Inc., Japan, August 15, 2003. 

Cellulose Fiber Reinforced Polydactic acid) (PLA) Composites 183... 

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