A special polylactic acid resistant to temperatures of more than 100 C has been developed by Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute, with possible applications including food and drink containers that promise to contribute greatly to food safety and the environment.
According to the government-funded R&D body in Hsinchu County, researchers spent eight years perfecting the use of non-toxic nucleating agents in producing the special PLA to create molded plastic that is heat and deformation-resistant, non-toxic and rapid-setting. PLA can be manufactured from a variety of biological sources, such as corn starch.
Without nucleating agents, PLA typically crystallises slowly, producing an end product that already begins to deform at temperatures above 50 C, ITRI said. The modified PLA also readily decomposes into carbon dioxide and water in soil, making it environmentally friendly.
According to statistics from ITRI’s Industrial Economics and Knowledge Research Center, total global PLA consumption stood at about 120,000 metric tonnes in 2010, with most users in Western Europe and North America, and biomedicine and packaging as primary applications.
Manufacturers are already cooperating with ITRI in commercialisation of the new technology to create safe, heat-resistant utensils for children. Other applications, such as high-density electronic devices, transparent plastic bags, as well as coatings for paper cups and wooden lunchboxes, are also in the pipeline.
