December 17, 2024 – Wuxi Nanda Achieves Breakthrough in PLA Material Technology
Wuxi Nanda Applied Materials, located in the Circular Economy Industrial Park of Qianzhou Street, Huishan District, has made a significant breakthrough in polylactic acid (PLA) material technology, pioneering a green catalytic system and polymerization process technology in China. This enterprise, a product of a collaborative research project between Wuxi Industrial Group, Nanjing University, and the academician team of Nanjing University, specializes in the research and production of environmental functional materials and eco-friendly materials.
For a long time, the core technology of PLA production has been dominated by a few international giants, leaving China lagging behind in this field. However, Wuxi Nanda Materials Research Institute, leveraging the research achievements of the Zhang Quanxing Academician Team from Nanjing University, has successfully broken through the foreign control over catalyst technology. This breakthrough has enabled the company to achieve full domestic support for its main production equipment, processes, and control software, making it the first in China to possess an independent green catalytic system and polymerization process technology for PLA materials.
According to industry sources, Wuxi Nanda successfully produced PLA slice products that meet the new national standards in September this year and has achieved the conditions for continuous operation and mass production at full capacity. In mid-November, with the successful delivery of a 200-ton customized PLA slice order, the institute officially realized mass production of PLA slices. Technical staff from the company’s experimental center revealed that their high-optical-purity PLA boasts an optical purity of 99.8%, delivering excellent performance, enhanced stability, and more controllable degradation rates.
PLA products are categorized into low, medium, and high optical purity types based on their optical purity. High-optical-purity PLA, with its superior performance, is widely used in products requiring higher strength, heat resistance, and weather resistance, such as high-quality textile fibers. Low-optical-purity PLA, on the other hand, is extensively used in the production of disposable eco-friendly materials due to its strong environmental adaptability and easy degradability.
Wu Wenxia, the head of the supply and marketing department at Wuxi Nanda Materials Research Institute, stated that during the initial debugging phase, the company successfully developed downstream processes for converting PLA slices into biodegradable plastic films, packaging materials, and injection-molded products. This time, the company also achieved a one-time success in the downstream spinning production process of PLA slices, producing fabrics with multiple functions such as mite resistance, antibacterial properties, cotton-like comfort, silk-like luster, and UV resistance. She cordially invited customers from all walks of life to visit the company for business cooperation.
Looking ahead, Wuxi Nanda Materials Research Institute will continue to focus on the research and production of high-end PLA application market products, particularly in the field of PLA fibers. Currently, the project covers an area of approximately 35 acres, with the first phase of 0.5 million tons of PLA slices already in full production, and a planned capacity of up to 80,000 tons. Wuxi Nanda Materials Research Institute will contribute significantly to the development of China’s green industry and the achievement of the “3060 dual carbon” goals.