Polylactic acid non woven fabric, also called PLA, is a type of 100% biodegradable nonwoven. It is favored by more and more people. PLA fabric is friendly to environment and zero pollution to earth. While spunbond and meltblown nonwoven is not. PLA nonwoven is of significant biological degradation, anti-bacterial, flame retardant and allergy free. It’s manufactured by nonwoven machine. It’s for tea bags,coffee pads, tissues, medical gowns nad personal hygiene products.
Related reading: PLA Uses in Package Industry
What is PLA Non Woven Fabric
Polylactic acid is a polymer. It obtains from lactic acid by polymerization. Its main raw material derives from corn, cassava and so on. They are abundant and renewable. The production process of polylactic acid is zero pollution. PLA non woven fabric is fully biodegraded. It performs well in nature circulation. So it is an ideal green polymer material.
Advantages of PLA
Good biodegradability
PLA Non Woven Fabric can be completely degraded by microorganisms in nature. It finally generates into carbon dioxide and water. They don’t pollute the environment and cause the greenhouse effect
Good Mechanical and Physical Properties
PLA is suitable for various processing methods such as blow molding and thermoplastics. It is easy to process. It’s an ideal material for various plastic products such as packaged food, fast food lunch boxes, and non-woven fabrics. The market prospects are very promising.
Compostable
When PLA incinerates, it emits less toxic fumes than oil based plastics.
Disadvantages of PLA
High Price
PLA is more expensive than fossil based plastics
Compostable
It doesn’t compost fast enough for industrial composters. The residue is not compost. So it doesn’t improve the quality of soil.
Recyclable
PLA has a lower melting point. It cannot recycle with other plastics. Therefor, there’s not enough PLA to make recycling economically viable.
Application Limitation
Low melting point makes PLA unsuitable for high temperature applications. PLA may even get soft or deforming on a hot summer day.
PLA has a higher permeability than other plastics. Moisture and oxygen will go through it more easily than other plastics. This will result in faster food spoilage. It is not recommended for long-term food storage applications.
PLA is not the hardest or toughest plastic. It is not suitable for applications where toughness and impact resistance are critical.
Differences Between Spunbond PP,PET and PLA Non Woven Fabric
PLA is very different from PP and PET. Raw material of PLA non woven fabric is Poly Lactic acid. It is extracted from corn, wheat, cassava and some other plants. Biodegradable speed of PLA is very fast. It will normally take 45 days to completely decomposite into CO2 and H2O. Details are as follow.
| Description | Raw Material | Melting Point | Biodegradable Speed | Environment Friendly | Touch Feeling | Flame Retardant | Anti-bacterial |
| PLA Nonwoven | plants | 175° | decomposit in 45 days | Yes | softness | Yes,less smoke,safety | Yes |
| PET Nonwoven | petroleum ingredients | 175° | Not biodegradable without additives | No | stiffness | No | No |
| PP Nonwoven | petroleum ingredients | 275° | Not biodegradable without additives | No | softness | No | No |
Applications of PLA Non Woven Fabric
Extrusion-grade resin is the main market application of PLA. It is mainly used in the packaging of fresh fruits and vegetables in large supermarkets. For instance,this type of packaging has become an important member of the European market chain.
PLA Nonwoven is widely used for packaging of electronic products. It has become the dominant direction of PLA applications. It promotes safety, energy saving and environmental protection. In addition, PLA’s high transparency, high gloss, high rigidity and other advantages are vividly reflected.
Besides, the application of extrusion-grade resin in horticulture has also begun to gain attention. It has been applied in fields such as slope greening and sandstorm control.
Conclusion
PLA non-woven fabric becomes more and more popular in various fields due to plastic restriction order. However, production capacity is still not enough to meet the increasing needs. We are the professional manufacturer of non woven machinery. Our machines can produce both PP and PLA non woven fabric. Contact us for any inquiries.