PLA producer NatureWorks (Minnetonka, Minnesota / USA; www.natureworksllc.com) has launched a new high-purity, polymer-grade lactide, “Ingeo” M700. The material, which is rich in meso-lactide, has been designed to provide performance and functionality in one molecule, the company says. This is different to previous industry approaches, which have attempted to deliver the functionality requested by the market with mixtures of two materials, L-lactide and D-lactide, it explains.

“A few producers have offered what is described chemically as racemic or ‘DL’ lactide,” says Manuel Natal, global segment leader for lactide derivatives at NatureWorks. “Compared to those lactides, Ingeo M700 is a next generation solution in terms of processing efficiency, cost effectiveness and, in a number of applications, higher end-product performance.”

The material can be used as an intermediate for copolymers, amorphous resins, grafted substrates, resin additives and modifiers, adhesives, coatings, elastomers, printing toners, surfactants as well as thermosets and solvents. It has a melting point of below 60°C, which compares with nearly 130°C for racemic lactide and around 97°C for L- and D-lactide. Lower processing temperatures allow more energy-efficient and easier manufacturing processes to deliver ester functionality, says NatureWorks.

The company has also launched three new Ingeo high-performance biopolymer grades designed for injection moulding and extrusion applications. They allow formulations comparable in performance to engineering thermoplastics at a cost lower than other high bio-based content polymers on the market, it claims. The new grades, Ingeo 2500 HP, 3100HP, and 3260HP, allow faster cycle times and production rates, a 15°C improvement in heat deformation temperature and a three- to four-fold increase in bulk crystallisation rates, NatureWorks adds. Suitable applications include consumer durable and semi-durable products and food service ware such as cutlery and hot cup lids.

“Commercializing these new grades follows the very positive market feedback NatureWorks received from customers during pilot sampling over the last year,” said Frank Diodato, NatureWorks durables industry global segment Manager.