The national standard for "Biological Manufacturing of Lactide" is about to be implemented!

The national standard "Biomanufacturing of Lactide" (GB/T 44826-2024) will be officially implemented as of May 1, 2025. The release and implementation of this standard will provide important technical support and regulatory guidance for the bio-manufacturing of lactide industry, and has profound significance for promoting the high-quality development of bio-based degradable materials such as polylactic acid.

Lactide: A key link in the synthesis of polylactic acid

Lactide, as a key intermediate product in the synthesis of polylactic acid, plays an indispensable role in the field of degradable materials. Polylactic acid, a bio-based degradable material prepared from lactic acid obtained through fermentation of corn, potatoes and other materials, has excellent biodegradability, biocompatibility and processability. It is widely used in packaging materials, interior parts of automobiles and aircraft, medical materials and many other fields, and has become one of the important ways to solve the problem of "white pollution".

The development history of lactide has been full of twists and turns. As early as the last century, foreign countries had already embarked on the journey of industrial production of lactide. In the 1990s, Nature Works of the United States (formerly Cargill-Dow, a joint venture between Cargill and Dow Chemical) successfully industrialized polylactic acid, bringing lactide into the public eye. Since then, global attention to lactide has been increasing day by day. As the core raw material for the synthesis of polylactic acid, its importance is self-evident.

The development path of lactide technology in China has been even more bumpy. For a long time, there was a lack of independent lactide production technology in China. The lactide needed for polylactic acid production was completely dependent on imports, which seriously restricted the development of China's polylactic acid industry. It was not until 2018 that Fengyuan Group and a Belgian company jointly established Fengyuan Futailai Polylactic Acid Company. With the unremitting research and development efforts of many domestic universities, enterprises and research institutes over the years, they finally overcame the technical difficulties in the production of lactide, achieved the localization of lactide, broke the foreign technological monopoly, and laid a solid foundation for the development of China's polylactic acid industry.

New national standard: Regulation leads industrial upgrading

The national standard GB/T 44826-2024 "Biological Manufacturing of Lactide" released this time is under the jurisdiction of the National Technical Committee for Standardization of Bio-based Materials and Degradable Products (TC380) and was drafted by enterprises such as Anhui Fengyuan Biotechnology Co., LTD. This standard provides comprehensive and detailed regulations on the terms and definitions, technical requirements, test methods, inspection rules, as well as marking, packaging, transportation and storage requirements of lactide.

In terms of technical requirements, the standard clearly stipulates key indicators such as the purity and impurity content of lactide to ensure that the product quality reaches the international advanced level. In terms of test methods, scientific, accurate and operable detection means are provided, offering a reliable basis for product quality control. The formulation of inspection rules has standardized the inspection process and judgment criteria of products, ensuring the stable quality of lactide products circulating in the market. Clear requirements for marking, packaging, transportation and storage are conducive to the management of products in the circulation process and ensure that the performance of the products is not affected.

Standard implementation: Opening a new chapter in Industrial development

The implementation of the national standard GB/T 44826-2024 "Biomanufacturing Lactide" is an important milestone in the development of China's bio-based degradable materials industry. It provides clear production norms and quality standards for lactide producers, effectively solving the problem that there is no unified judgment standard for lactide products at present. It guides enterprises to organize production in accordance with the standards, improve product quality, and enhance the competitiveness of China's lactide products in the international market. At the same time, it is also conducive to regulating the market order, promoting the healthy and orderly development of the industry, and driving China's polylactic acid industry towards high-end and green development.

For the entire polylactic acid industry, the implementation of this standard will promote the coordinated development of the upstream and downstream industrial chains. Production enterprises can produce higher-quality lactide in accordance with standards, providing a stable and reliable raw material supply for the production of polylactic acid. Polylactic acid processing enterprises can develop more high-performance and high-value-added polylactic acid products based on standard raw materials, further expanding the application of polylactic acid in various fields.

Under the backdrop of environmental protection and sustainable development, the implementation of this standard also holds significant social significance. It will promote the wide application of bio-based degradable materials, reduce the pollution of traditional plastics to the environment, help China achieve the "dual carbon" goals, and contribute to building a beautiful China.