Page 134 - CW E-Magazine (18-2-2025)

Point of View

PLA manufacture and use Key producers of PLA
PLA synthesis proceeds via a lactide intermediate that can use either chiral form Company Capacity Location
of LA (D- or L-) or combinations thereof to produce polymers with tailored properties (ktpa)
for fibres, thermoforming, injection and blow moulding. Three forms of PLA are B&F PLA (BBCA + 30 China
produced: poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), poly(D-lactic acid) (PDLA), and poly(D,L-lactic acid) Futerro)
(PDLLA). PLA must hence be seen not as a single polymer but as a ‘family’, which include
homopolymers (PLLA and PDLA), which are semicrystalline, and the copolymer PDLLA, which COFCO 10 China
is usually amorphous. This diversity of stereochemistry poses opportunities and challenges; Futerro (Galactic) 1.5 Belgium
while it allows for blending and customisation to tailor material properties to suit the application Hengtian 10 China
at hand, marketing PLA is unlike commodity thermoplastics and requires extensive technical Hisun 45 China
support to processors. Jiangxi KeYuan 1 China
PLA exhibits good mechanical strength, biocompatibility, biodegradability and high compost- LG Chem + ADM 75* USA
ability. It can be used as virgin resin; with additives; as blends with biopolymers, natural fibres and NatureWorks 150 USA
conventional polymers; and as nano-composites. PLA compounds, blends and barrier coatings (Cargill + PTT 75 Thailand
can extend use to standard plastics applications, while stereo blends and complexes can Global)
extend the application spectrum to durable goods. Some uses of PLA include films (packaging Uhde Inventa- 0.5 Germany
and non-packaging), disposable ware (plates, cutlery, hospital tools, etc.), electronics (phone, Fischer
computer and copier parts), automotive (door panel lining, trunk & secondary interior liners); Sulzer <1 Switzerland
and non-woven disposables (baby diapers, feminine hygiene, wipes, hospital apparel, etc.).
SuPLA 10 China
Economics of PLA production Synbra 5 Switzer-
The cash costs of PLA production – as for most petrochemical-derived polymers – is land
dominated by the costs of raw materials (in this case, LA), with some cost benefits stemming TianRen 3 China
from economy of scale and integration. The most competitive commercial plants have a Tong-Jie-Liang 10 China
capacity of ~75-ktpa, and benefit from being integrated backward to LA production as well as Biomaterials
to corn milling or other sugar operations (as will be the case with the BCML project). Total Corbion 75 Thailand
Benchmark capital costs for a 75-ktpa PLA plant is $180-200 mn.
PLA 100 France
While PLA production costs will fluctuate due volatility in sugar markets, they are expected *: Due 2025
to remain significantly higher than for typical petroleum-based thermoplastics. But many producers (including BCML) are known to benefit
from tax breaks, grants, and site-specific initiatives that make up somewhat for the high costs of production. Nevertheless, a high-cost
polymer as PLA faces stiff market resistance – all the more so in a developing country as India.
Lower carbon footprint
One of the touted benefits of PLA is its lower carbon footprint relative to petroleum-derived alternatives. According to a cradle-to-gate analysis
carried out by TotalEnergies Corbion, a leading PLA producer, the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of PLA is only 500-gram carbon dioxide (CO )
2
per kg of polymer – a 75% reduction versus most traditional plastics – with much of the benefit coming from CO fixation at crop cultivation. The
2
LA production step, on the other hand, is the major contribution to the carbon footprint as it is energy intensive and also generates CO (which
2
could, of course, be captured for sequestration or for feedstock use). Under optimal conditions, where the biomass used to produce PLA is grown
sustainably and the energy used in production is renewable, PLA could potentially be considered carbon negative, meaning it absorbs more
CO than it emits throughout its lifecycle. This is a virtue only some in the market recognise, and the expectation is that their tribe will increase.
2
Growing niche that will take focused market development efforts
In 2021, biodegradable plastics represented less than 1% of the more than 367-mt of plastic produced. Yet, their capacity is expected
to increase from nearly 2.22-mtpa in 2022 to about 6.30-mtpa in 2027 – indicating these materials may make more significant contributions
to the sustainability goals for plastics in coming years.

While PLA has interesting properties, it also has inherent deficiencies, and innovation is crucial to guarantee some level of competitiveness
with petrochemical plastics.

Growth in PLA markets will depend on corporate application development efforts, product acceptance by consumers, regulatory
frameworks, and cooperation by all participants in the value chain.
Ravi Raghavan

134 Chemical Weekly February 18, 2025

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