The diverse world of nonwoven product manufacturing has become even more varied, with a new focus on using sustainable biopolymers such as polylactic acid (PLA) to address specific market demands at an affordable price. Concurrently, processes such as spunbond manufacturing used by global leaders such as Fitesa, Ahlstrom and Fiberweb/PGI have enabled scalable commercialization of specific nonwoven materials for the global marketplace. Spunbond’s near cousin, meltblown manufacturing, is proving itself to be a viable process in the nonwoven ecosystem, delivering cost-effective solutions that address niche opportunities in roll goods, healthcare, industrial and consumer applications. This article shines a spotlight on the first two of those sectors, where meltblown PLA nonwoven materials can play an important role in furthering the industry and driving innovation.
Global commercialization efforts by NatureWorks with its Ingeo resin platform have highlighted the advantages of PLA. This sustainable biopolymer comes from renewable sources; end-products can be manufactured from PLA to be degradable and biocompostable. It has a low bioburden compared with other materials such as recycled wood pulp. This low bioburden profile precludes any heat drying needed to destroy microbes, allowing a “cleaner” and less process-intensive manufacturing method than traditional alternatives such as wood pulp. Most importantly, particularly for healthcare applications, PLA has a very attractive biocompatibility profile and is resorbable and safe in terms of cytotoxicity versus synthetic fibers.
Photo courtesy of Biovation.
Photo courtesy of Biovation.
IPv6 network supported
