PLA (CORN) FIBRE
PLA is composed of lactic acid, which is produced by converting corn starch into sugar & then fermenting it to get lactic acid.
Lactic acid can be considered a commodity chemical sleeping giant, with advantages including
a) It can be made from biomass
b) It has both an hydroxyl group and a carboxylic acid group
c) It is optically active
Manufacturing Process:
The lactic acid exists in two optical isomers L-isomer & D-L isomer. The polymer produced from D-L isomer by using direct condensation requires solvent under high pressure & high vacuum. Hence L isomer is used. Lactic acid firstly condensed to transform it into short chain PLA. It is then converted into lactic acid by using vacuum distillation. No solvent is required during distillation. The final stage is ring-opening polymerization.
Flow of Manufacturing:
►Corn → Starch → Undefined Dextrose → Fermentation → Lactic acid → Direct polymerization → PLA → Melt spinning → PLA fibre.
►Corn → Starch → Undefined Dextrose → Fermentation → Lactic acid → Vacuum distillation → Condensation → PLA → Melt spinning → PLA fibre.
Lactron (Corn) circulation system in nature:
Microbiological breakdown shows that these products, after their use, can be used as soil conditioner, composted material etc. & the yielded material such as co2 & water again utilized by corn plant for its growth. Hence the fibre is totally eco friendly.