Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 4 -
Question: this and corn, straw-related materials, you are going into my life
Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xinxin
Corn and straw are not related to clothing and home furnishing, but they are being quietly related.
Maize or even straw is processed into new biodegradable materials, which can be spun into yarn to make clothes, or processed into daily necessities and boards.
The reporter learned from the second China Bio-based Materials Industry Development Conference held recently that Chinese companies have "run through" the entire link from corn to polylactic acid and fiber, and have begun practice in the fields of home textiles and clothing.
This new material is entering your life.
Limit plastic, let this material enter the public view
Non-woven shopping bags, corn starch tableware, bio-based fiber sportswear... The conference displayed a series of daily necessities derived from "corn".
In early 2020, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the "Opinions on Further Strengthening the Treatment of Plastic Pollution", clarifying a series of "timetables" for plastic restrictions.
Represented by polylactic acid materials processed from corn and straw, bio-based materials with degradable functions quickly entered the public eye.
What are bio-based materials?
An expert from the China National Textile and Apparel Council used "from environmental protection to environmental protection" to describe.
Taking polylactic acid as an example, starting from corn, fiber extraction, production, and application are not only a circular economy, but also effective material antibacterial characteristics.
"Different from other microplastic particles, PLA fiber waste can be degraded into carbon dioxide and water, which is completely biodegradable and truly environmentally friendly." Li Zengjun, an expert from China Chemical Fiber Industry Association, said that the Central Economic Work Conference will do a good job in carbon peaking. , Carbon neutrality is one of the key tasks to be done in 2021, and bio-based materials are of great significance to environmental protection.
What are the prospects?
"In 2020, my country's synthetic resins will increase slightly. In 2019, the five major general-purpose resins will increase by 7.2% over the previous year. The rapid development of the plastics industry is a general trend." Ma Zhanfeng, vice chairman of the China Plastics Processing Industry Association, said that banning plastics does not ban the entire plastics industry. Instead, some non-degradable materials are replaced and improved through degradable materials.
To a certain extent, as much industrial space as there is, there is so much space for new materials.
Many experts believe that many petroleum-based chemical fibers and membrane products are used in daily life, which are difficult to decompose in the natural environment.
The time is right to promote the standardization and industrialization of bio-based materials.
Technology, gradually have the foundation for industrialization
The development of bio-based materials represented by polylactic acid will greatly help increase the supply of green products and reduce dependence on petrochemical resources. However, it also faced problems such as difficult lactide production technology and high production costs.
However, in the practice of relevant departments, scientific research institutions, and first-line enterprises, problems are being solved.
The reporter's survey found that some companies have begun to deploy, and some domestic companies have integrated the full-line technology of low-cost production of polylactic acid raw materials.
On December 26, the second module of Anhui Fengyuan Group started construction of the 500,000 tons of lactic acid and 300,000 tons of polylactic acid project.
Prior to this, the PLA project with an annual output of 50,000 tons has been put into production.
In order to strive for a stable supply of raw materials, more than a dozen companies including Shandong Zhengkai New Materials and Jiangsu Yueda Home Textile have planned to build factories near the production base.
Many places such as Bengbu, Anhui are also building a bio-based material industry system represented by polylactic acid and nanocellulose.
"At present, the standardization and industrialization of the bio-based materials industry is advancing rapidly. Recently, the specific deadlines and product catalogs for plastic restriction have been released in many places across the country, which has created market space for the development of bio-based materials." Ma Zhanfeng said, these have allowed bio-based materials. Gradually have the foundation for large-scale industrialization.
"The bio-based materials industry represented by polylactic acid has made breakthrough progress, which will further promote the high-quality development of my country's bio-based materials industry." said Wang An, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
The market needs to be cultivated by all parties
For the industry to develop, the market is critical.
Industry experts believe that, on the one hand, we must continue to strengthen technological research and the stability of production and quality. On the other hand, we should also strengthen the market’s awareness of new materials, so that they can enter the market and withstand market inspections.
"In layman's terms, polylactic acid materials made from corn and straw have roughly two directions, one is plastic and the other is cloth." A person in charge of the Development and Reform Commission of Bengbu City in Anhui told reporters that in recent years, Bengbu's policies, funds, and platforms have Provide support in the field, and comprehensively promote the use of recyclable, easily recyclable, and degradable film bags.
In terms of fabrics, experts believe that polylactic acid fiber has a weak acidity similar to that of human skin and has advantages in applications such as underwear and home textiles. However, compared with chemical fiber products, scale is not enough.
"The price of polylactic acid fiber is higher than the commonly used polyester fiber. Polyester fiber is thousands of tons, and polylactic acid is currently several tons." Li Zengjun believes that increasing production capacity and reducing production costs are very important.
At the meeting, Fengyuan Group Chairman Li Rongjie said that in order to encourage and promote the application of new materials, Fengyuan Group's polylactic acid will further reduce the price of its partners.
To enter the market from the factory, we must also better play the role of policy coordination and standard guidance to correctly guide the promotion and application of bio-based materials.
"30 to 40 fibers are equivalent to the thickness of a hair, which shows the excellent production process. At present, it is extracted from corn, and the next step is to make it from straw. The process needs to be improved." The relevant person in charge of the China Chemical Fiber Industry Association said, development New materials must be patient, fine-tuned layout, and better promote to consumers with the help of new business models.