Fiber/Textil
Fiber/Textil Applications Fibers and Nonwovens of PHBV/PLA Figure 1 Melt-spun PHBV/PLA yarns www.teijin.co.jp With increasing concerns about sustainability of petrochemical resources and white pollution, development of biobased and biodegradable polymers and fibers has been of great significance. As one of the best-known biopolymers, poly (lactic acid) (PLA) has been commercialized for over 10 years and PLA fibers have been produced by several companies including NatureWorks LLC – the world’s largest producer of PLA. While showing comparable mechanical properties with traditional petrochemical-based fibers such as polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the PLA fibers seem to have some limitations in terms of softness for apparel applications. Fiber type Tenacity Elongation (cN/dtex) at break (%) Hot Air shrinkage (%) PLA 3.44 28.4 3.3 PHBV/PLA 10/90 2.91 22.3 3.6 PHBV/PLA 20/80 2.72 21.8 3.8 PHBV/PLA 30/70 2.36 22.8 3.7 PHBV/PLA 40/60 2.15 15.6 3.7 Table 1 Properties of PLA and PHBV/PLA fibers Figure 2 PHBV/PLA nonwovens Recently, Tianan Biologic, from Ningbo, China – the world’s largest producer of PHBV (poly 3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) – has introduced fully biobased and biodegradable fibers and nonwovens made from PHBV/PLA biopolymers. Both PHBV and PLA are made from renewable plant resources and offer a biodegradable alternative to petrochemical-based polymers and fibers. Tianan reports that it has developed a full set of melt-spinning and texturing technologies for producing PHBV/PLA fibers via a joint research venture with Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering (NIMTE), Chinese Academy of Sciences. Tianan and NIMTE have produced different versions of PHBV/PLA fibers including staple fibers, filament yarns and bicomponent fibers via melt-spinning, as well as PHBV/PLA nonwovens via needle-punching, melt-blown, spun-bond and hydroentanglement. The fibers and nonwovens can be used for apparel, household, technical textiles, and personal care products. With judicious selection of PHBV and PLA grades, the spinnability is so fine that the conventional melt-spinning line can be directly used for producing PHBV/PLA fibers at fairly high speeds like 2500 m/min. As Table 1 shows, the PHBV/PLA fibers show slightly reduced tenacity, lower elongation at break and higher hot air shrinkage, compared with the PLA fibers spun under the same conditions. Of most interests is the soft and silky feeling of the PHBV/PLA fibers and nonwovens which is promising to overcome the major shortcomings of PLA fibers. It is believed that the PHBV/ PLA fibers will find their applications firstly in personal care products such as diapers and napkins. “Expanding our portfolio of product offerings with PHBV/PLA fibers which are eco-friendly and superior to common PLA fibers is both a growth strategy and the next step in our company’s sustainability journey,” said Jialing Li, president of Tianan, “The close cooperation with institute researchers and other commercial players fits perfectly into our strategy of offering specialty and customized green products.”MT 22 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 6
Order now! A new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc. Degradable Plastics Book-Review Bookstore The degradable plastic industry has been on the verge of commercial success for decades. However, demand growth was limited because most degradable plastics were too expensive, were unavailable in large enough quantities or had performance drawbacks that limited them to niche markets. This situation began to change in the early 2000s, as interest in environmentally friendly products gained strength, boosted by the efforts of major users like Wal-Mart. At the same time, the availability of biodegradable plastics increased significantly due to expansions by key producers. These and other trends are presented in Degradable Plastics, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm. The full report (202 pages, published 08/2010) is available through the bioplastics MAGAZINE bookstore at www.bioplasticsmagazine.com/books. Order now for US-$ 4,800 (+ VAT where applicable) order at www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/books, by phone +49 2161 6884463 or by e-mail books@bioplasticsmagazine.com Reduced Price ! “Thank you Jan. It is obvious that you went to great lengths on this work. You have listed biopolymers I haven‘t even heard of. This report will be very helpful to all involved in the biopolymer world.“ A reader‘s remark Hans-Josef Endres, Andrea Siebert-Raths Engineering Biopolymers Markets, Manufacturing, Properties and Applications 660 pages, hard cover. 278 coloured pictures, 70 tables Reduced Now available Price ! Author: Jan Th. J. Ravenstijn, MSc The state of the art on Bioplastics, January 2010 The report ‘The state-of-the-art on Bioplastics 2010‘ describes the revolutionary growth of bio-based monomers, polymers, and plastics and changes in performance and variety for the entire global plastics market in the first decades of this century. Trends, issues, technologies, products, markets, manufacturers, investment plans, performances, needs, expectations, and new opportunities are reviewed and discussed. This includes the assimilation of the agricultural industry with the polymer industry to a new value chain. Today, bio-based thermosets are larger than bio-based thermoplastics, while also the volume of bio-based durable materials exceeds the volume of bio-based biodegradable plastics. Order now for reduced price of EUR 1,500.00 (+ VAT) order at www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/books, by phone +49 2161 6884463 or by e-mail books@bioplasticsmagazine.com (Special prices for research and non-profit organisations upon request). Hans-Josef Endres, Andrea Siebert-Raths Technische Biopolymere Rahmenbedingungen, Marktsituation, Herstellung, Aufbau und Eigenschaften 628 Seiten, Hardcover This book is unique in its focus on market-relevant bio/renewable materials. It is based on comprehensive research projects, during which these materials were systematically analyzed and characterized. For the first time the interested reader will find comparable data not only for biogenic polymers and biological macromolecules such as proteins, but also for engineering materials. The reader will also find valuable information regarding microstructure, manufacturing, and processing-, application-, and recycling properties of biopolymers Rainer Höfer (Editor) Sustainable Solutions for Modern Economies ISBN: 978-1-84755-905-0 Copyright: 2009 / Format: Hardcover / 497 pages Finally it‘s there ! Bestellen Sie das deutschsprachige Buch für EUR 279.44 + MwSt Order the new english version now ! € 279.44 +VAT Order now for just EUR 99.00 plus shipping & handling (please ask for shipping cost into your country) order at www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/books, by phone +49 2161 6884463 or by e-mail books@bioplasticsmagazine.com order at www.bioplasticsmagazine.de by phone +49 2161 6884463 or by e-mail books@bioplasticsmagazine.com
