Improving PLA ductility with palm oil by-product

Polylactide (PLA) is the most used biodegradable and biobased food packaging polymer for rigid containers and films. However, its low ductility is a hurdle for increasing its applications in flexible food packaging. A solution is the use of additives.
Researchers at Université Paris Saclay in France found that palm oil deodorizer distillate (PODC) is an excellent additive promoting PLA ductility. PODC is a by-product of vegetable oil refining, which is available in stable quality and in sufficient amounts. PODC was also a very efficient processing aid, allowing for film blow extrusion. An article about the research is published in Polymer International.
Click here for an abstract of the article.

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