Uhde Inventa-Fischer (Berlin / Germany; www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com) says its newly developed “PLAneo” PLA technology is suitable for large-scale projects, following successful testing. The company has been testing the “PLAneo” technology for several months at its pilot plant in Guben / Germany. The facility, which was constructed in 2010, has a production capacity of 500 t/y of polymer resin.

During testing, the desired performance parameters were achieved, said product manager Rainer Hagen. The continuous process is suitable for large-capacity industrial production plants, and can be used to produce different types of PLA, including specialties such as PLA copolymers and stereocomplex PLA with increased heat resistance, he added.

Uhde Inventa-Fischer has also developed the technology for producing PLA feedstock lactic acid. Parent company ThyssenKrupp Uhde (www.uhde.eu) is building a pilot plant for the production of lactic acid from glucose or saccharose in Leuna / Germany. The pilot plant is scheduled to come onstream in the second quarter of 2012.