Polylactic acid (PLA) is a kind of new material which is produced by the further polymerization of lactic acid from starch or sugar fermentation. It does not use petroleum as raw material, and has the characteristics of environmental protection, non-toxic, antibacterial, flame retardant, good biocompatibility and biodegradability. It is the most promising new material to shake the traditional position of petroleum based plastics and chemical fibers in the future.

Polylactic acid and its products have stable physical properties under normal temperature and humidity conditions. It is a completely degradable biomaterial, which can be recycled. After being discarded, it can be degraded into carbon dioxide and water. After photosynthesis by plants, it can be absorbed by plants again and enter into the natural circle infinitely. It is "the environmental recycling material of the 21st century".

The main characteristics are as follows

(1) renewable sources: mainly from corn, potato and other starch crops, as well as crop straw, etc;

(2) complete biodegradation: it can be absorbed and metabolized by human body; the products are completely degraded into CO2 and H2O in soil or sea water after being discarded in landfill within one year, realizing the carbon cycle on the surface and effectively changing the environmental pollution caused by petroleum based materials;

(3) human body affinity and safety: raw material lactic acid is contained in human body, PLA can be metabolized and absorbed by human body, PLA is FDA certified human implant material, which has been widely used in medical field for decades;

(4) excellent processability: it can be processed in many ways, such as extrusion, spinning, biaxial drawing, injection blow molding;

(5) natural antibacterial and anti mite: the antibacterial and anti mite rate of Candida albicans, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus reached more than 95%;

(6) natural flame retardancy: safe and flame retardant, low smoke, no black smoke and no toxic gas;

(7) excellent gloss, transparency, handle, UV resistance, moisture conductivity, no moisture regain, etc.

Polylactic acid can be made into polylactic acid fiber, and its performance is comparable to that of cotton. In addition, polylactic acid has similar performance to general chemical materials such as polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyester fibers (PET, PTT, PBT). It can be processed by injection molding, extrusion, spinning and other processes to make fibers, films, sheets and plates, gradually replacing Petrochemical fibers and petroleum plastics, It is widely used in clothing, packaging, agriculture, home, auto parts, 3D printing, biomedicine and many other fields.