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PLA Plastic Bags Are Both Environmentally-friendly and Degradable

Mar 25 , 2022

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This year more and more people learn about environmental protection and sustainable development. People are slowly shifting their attention from non-degradable single-use plastics to biodegradable ones. On the one hand, the national awareness of environmental protection has strengthened. On the other hand, we need to speed up the pace of strengthening environmental protection, because the environmental damage is worsening at an unimaginable speed.

Now there are many products in the market in the name of PLA plastic bags, so are PLA plastic bags really environmentally friendly?

First, let's learn about the material of the latest PLA plastic bags: PLA materials.

PLA materials are non-toxic and non-irritating synthetic polymer materials with excellent biodegradability, compatibility, and absorption. Its raw material is lactic acid, which is mainly fermented from starch (such as corn and rice), and can also be obtained from cellulose, kitchen waste, or fish waste.

Characteristics of PLA Materials

(1)PLA materials have a wide range of raw materials, and the products made from them can be directly composted or incinerated after use. PLA materials finally can completely be degraded into CO2 and H2O to meet the requirements of sustainable development.

(2)PLA materials have good transparency, toughness, biocompatibility, and heat resistance, which is the main reason for their wide application.

(3)PLA materials are thermoplastic. Compared with traditional petrochemical products, the energy consumption in the production of PLA materials is only 20%-50% of that of petrochemical products, and the carbon dioxide produced is only 50% of that of petrochemical products.

The Decomposition Process of PLA Materials

Corn starch and vegetable starch are converted into glucose and then become lactic acid. Then they will become the biodegradable material of PLA materials through polymerization.