05 | 2008

Event Review
1 st PLA World Congress
a Great Success
The 1st PLA World Congress hosted by bioplastics
MAGAZINE (September 9th and 10th in Munich,
Germany) attracted about 170 experts and interested
delegates from more than 35 countries. Delegates from
the packaging and other industries, universities, research
institutes and similar organisations, as well as dedicated
PLA experts, came from all over Europe, North America
and countries as far away as Costa Rica, Australia, South
Africa and Sri Lanka.
The Congress was opened with a key-note speech of
Professor Endres from the University of Applied Sciences
and Arts, Hanover, Germany. In the first session the
audience received the long-expected confirmation that
Pyramid bioplastics, represented by their CEO Bernd
Merzenich, will build a 60,000 tonnes/annum PLA plant
in Germany (see news on page 5). Speakers from Uhde
Inventa-Fischer, Purac and Sulzer continued the first
session with the basics of PLA. How is starch (e.g. from
corn) converted into lactic acid and then into PLA? What
can be done to purify lactide or what is the secret behind
d- and l-isomers, mesomers and stereocomplexing.
Remy Jongboom of Biopearls presented a broad choice
of different application possibilities apart from the classic
film or packaging applications. Examples were injection
moulded parts produced from tailor-made PLA blends,
including such items as tomato clips and DVD cases,
as well as geo-textiles. The special market situation of
PLA for stretch blow moulded bottles was explained by
NatureWorks with the examples from the Italian Sant’Anna
and German happYwater both reported about in more
detail in this issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE.
The next sessions, with contributions from FKuR,
DuPont, Cereplast, Clariant, PolyOne and the University
of Wageningen, were all about blending PLA with other
materials and available additives to improve the properties
of PLA, such as impact resistance, thermal properties,
processing behaviour etc.
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/08] Vol. 3