Improving the Commercial Viability of PLA Packaging

 

Convex Plastics is now working with the national Plastics Centre of Excellence (PCoE ) to improve the commercial viability of PLA. Pictured from left to right: Convex Laboratory Manager, Crystal Pope; Convex Laboratory Technician, Nicola Dunn; Convex Laboratory Assistant, Cyrano Embling; Meg Starkweather PHD, Senior Research Engineer PCoE; Peter Plimmer PHD, Polymer Consultant PCoE; PCoE Director, Len Harvey; Convex Technical Manager, Andrew Sheerin; and Chris Tanner, Research Technologist PCoE.

Convex Plastics has teamed up with the new national Plastics Centre of Excellence (PCoE) to actively research how to make biodegradable PLA packaging more commercially viable.

The Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) study with Convex Plastics is the first research programme conducted by the new PCoE, which opened last October at the University of Auckland Tamaki Campus.

Supported by up to $5 million in government funding, the PcoE is a joint venture between the University of Auckland and Plastics New Zealand, the industry's trade association. One of the PCoE’s objectives is to conduct applied industry research to develop leading-edge polymers and processes.

A team from the PCoE traveled to the Convex Plastics Hamilton plant on January 28 to conduct preliminary PLA polymer trials, which PCoE Director Len Harvey described as `an encouraging start’. Mr Harvey says, “Convex is a hugely important partner in this research, which has the potential to develop new export opportunities for the New Zealand industry”.

Convex Technical Manager, Andrew Sheerin says, “The goal of the research is to develop a PLA film that performs the same, and preferably better, than conventional petroleum-based films such as PET, BOPP & Polyethylene. In order to do this we need to modify the film to enable it to provide all the properties potential customers are looking for, such as high clarity, tear and impact strength.”

Although able to provide the high clarity required by most commercial users, Andrew says PLA film, made from fermented corn, is currently very brittle and challenging to handle, seal and process. This has limited the film’s commercial uses and driven Convex to search for a way to make the film more functional while still maintaining the good shelf visibility.

Prior to joining forces with the PCoE Convex had employed Rotary Scholar, Claire-Elizabeth Ramson, to carry out some initial PLA research, which increased their understanding of the film’s chemistry. Claire, who has just completed a BSc in Materials and Process Engineering, researched PLA polymers for 12 months at university and had already carried out a robust literature review before joining Convex. The literature review indicated that, although a lot of research has been targeted at the injection moulding and thermoforming of PLA, very little work has been done on modifying blown film.

Claire, who describes herself as an `innovative environmentalist’ is planning to use her Rotary Scholarship to study for a Masters in Materials Engineering in the UK within the next few years, which she hopes to focus on PLA film.