Polylactic acid (PLA), as a biobased material, has shown great potential in the field of fiber materials in the 21st century. Although PLA does not naturally exist in nature, through artificial synthesis, we can use lactic acid, a fermentation product of crops such as wheat, sugar beets, cassava, corn, or non crops such as waste straw, to prepare this material. The products made from it can naturally degrade into water and carbon dioxide in a composting environment, with superior environmental performance. Therefore, polylactic acid is not only suitable for plastic processing, but also for fiber processing, showcasing the unique charm of fiber plastic integration.
Polylactic acid can be successfully spun into polylactic acid fibers. This fiber cleverly combines the dual advantages of nature and chemical synthesis, presenting a weakly acidic characteristic similar to human skin, thus possessing a natural skin friendly feeling. In addition, it also has excellent antibacterial, anti mite, and anti allergic properties. Polylactic acid fibers have excellent drape, smoothness, and breathability, while emitting a charming luster. More importantly, the textile products made from it also have self extinguishing properties, greatly improving the safety during use.
Classification of polylactic acid fibers
In terms of application, polylactic acid fibers can be divided into two categories: polylactic acid short fibers and polylactic acid long fibers. Polylactic acid short fibers have gained widespread recognition in the market for their unique mechanical properties, such as strength and elasticity. Its products not only include pure spun products, but also have been successfully blended with fibers such as cotton, wool, linen, lyocell, and Modal, further enriching the diversity and applicability of the products.
Performance
mechanical property
Polylactic acid fibers exhibit excellent mechanical properties. Its breaking strength is between 3.2 and 4.9 cN/dtex, which is higher than that of natural cotton fibers. In the dry state, its elongation at break is comparable to that of nylon and wool; When wet, the elongation rate increases. These characteristics make polylactic acid fiber products both strong and stretchable.
Biodegradability
Polylactic acid product waste can be completely decomposed into carbon dioxide and water in only 3-6 months under specific industrial composting conditions, such as 58 degrees Celsius, 98% humidity, and accompanied by microbial action.
Polylactic acid fibers and their products exhibit stability in normal temperature and humidity environments. However, when placed in natural environments such as sand, silt, or seawater, polylactic acid is completely degraded by microorganisms. For example, if polylactic acid fibers are buried in soil, their natural degradation time is about 2-3 years; If mixed with organic waste for burial, it can degrade within a few months.
Biocompatibility and anti allergic reactions
Due to the fact that the raw material of polylactic acid, lactic acid, is an endogenous substance in the human body, polylactic acid fibers exhibit good biocompatibility, high affinity with the skin, and no allergic reactions. This characteristic makes polylactic acid fibers widely used in the field of biomedicine.
Antibacterial, mite proof, mold proof, and odor proof functions
Polylactic acid fibers have a natural antibacterial effect due to the weak acidity of lactic acid on their surface, which can effectively inhibit the growth of mites and also have anti mold and anti odor effects.
Use security
Polylactic acid fiber has excellent flame retardancy, quickly extinguishes after leaving the fire without emitting black smoke or toxic gases, ensuring safe use.
Medication performance
Polylactic acid fibers endow fabrics with excellent drape due to their low initial modulus and excellent drape coefficient. Meanwhile, its high elastic recovery rate endows pure polylactic acid fiber fabrics with excellent wrinkle recovery properties. In addition, polylactic acid fibers also have good insulation properties and moisture absorption and quick drying characteristics.
Application area
Sanitary material field
Polylactic acid non-woven fabric has become an ideal choice in the field of hygiene materials due to its smooth surface, superior conductivity, dryness, and biocompatibility. For example, it can be used for the surface layer, flow guiding layer, and bottom layer of sanitary napkins and diapers, as well as disposable sanitary products such as makeup remover cotton, wet wipes, face towels, and film cloths.
Not only can it effectively meet the antibacterial needs of disposable medical and hygiene products, but the biodegradability of polylactic acid can also completely solve the problem of “white pollution” caused by these products.
Application in the field of clothing
Polylactic acid fibers exhibit physical properties similar to polyester/polyester, including formability, superior strength, and strong dimensional stability. More importantly, it is skin friendly, non irritating, and easy to wash and dry. Through unique spinning processes or material mixing, polylactic acid fibers can also be endowed with special functions, bringing unique advantages to clothing fabrics.
① Sports and leisure clothing: Polylactic acid fiber is an ideal choice for sports and leisure clothing, and its physical properties and easy to wash and dry characteristics are very suitable for the needs of this type of clothing.
② Underwear: Its antibacterial properties give polylactic acid fiber significant advantages in the field of underwear, effectively maintaining personal hygiene.
③ Children’s clothing: The non allergic reaction, skin friendly properties, and flame retardancy of polylactic acid fiber make it an indispensable element of modern children’s clothing.
Application in the field of home textiles
Polylactic acid also performs well in the home textile industry.
① Bedding fabric: Utilizing its skin friendly, non irritating, and easy to wash and dry characteristics, polylactic acid fiber stands out among bedding fabrics with better dimensional stability than all cotton fabrics.
② Filler: Represented by hollow polylactic acid short fibers, it can exist in pure PLA form or be mixed with other fibers, providing an alternative solution for existing polyester related fillers.
③ Curtains and carpets: The non flammable properties of polylactic acid make it perform well in these home textile products, extinguishing immediately upon ignition, with no black smoke or toxic gas emissions, ensuring safe use.
Applications in the medical field
Polylactic acid fibers also play an important role in the medical field. Its non allergic reaction, skin friendly properties, and good dimensional stability make polylactic acid fiber an ideal choice for medical supplies such as masks, protective clothing, medical gauze, bandages, etc. These medical supplies have strict requirements for material safety, comfort, and durability, and polylactic acid fibers can precisely meet these needs.
Other applications of polylactic acid fiber
Polylactic acid fibers not only shine in the medical field, but also find applications in many other areas. For example, it is widely used in the production of agricultural fabrics to promote the healthy growth of crops; Meanwhile, polylactic acid fibers have also been made into sand barriers to prevent sandstorms; In addition, the bonding between filter fiber bundles and decorative panels is also an important application area for polylactic acid fibers. These diverse applications further demonstrate the wide applicability of polylactic acid fibers.
According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, PLA sand barriers have been widely used for desertification control in Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Gansu and other areas of China, covering an area of about 100000 acres. The application of this technology has significantly improved the vegetation coverage in the governance demonstration area, with an increase of 15% to 35%. At the same time, the output value per unit area has also increased by 20% to 30%. By utilizing low-carbon footprint polylactic acid (PLA) materials to develop green sand control technology, not only has the near surface wind speed been reduced by 40% and the sand transport volume by 50%, but the service life of PLA sand barriers has also been significantly extended, the laying efficiency has been improved, and the handling volume has been greatly reduced.
In addition, polylactic acid fibers have been successfully applied in multiple industries and fields such as textiles, industry, and agriculture, demonstrating enormous market potential. Especially the bio based source and biodegradation characteristics of polylactic acid make it a leader in environmentally friendly materials, capable of replacing existing non degradable fabrics and non-woven products, and making significant contributions to promoting green environmental protection. Therefore, polylactic acid fibers play a crucial role in the field of textiles and non-woven fabrics in the 21st century.
Dongguan Liansheng Non woven Technology Co., Ltd. was established in May 2020. It is a large-scale non-woven fabric production enterprise integrating research and development, production, and sales. It can produce various colors of PP spunbond non-woven fabrics with a width of less than 3.2 meters from 9 grams to 300 grams.
Post time: Jan-30-2025