TotalEnergies Corbion and Bluepha have been collaborating in China on the creation of sustainable fibres based on a combination of Luminy PLA (polylactic acid) and Bluepha PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate).

The companies report that they have now successfully addressed various challenges arising in the dyeing process – primarily uneven dyeing and thermal instability – caused by the two varying molecular structures.

A blend of the two fibres has now been used to create a natural organic fabric that is lightweight and wear-resistant with a soft, waxy texture, but also has antibacterial and anti-odour properties.

The first commercial products based on the new fibre blend are expected to enter the market by mid 2024.

“This cooperation has proven the application of PLA/PHA blended fibre in the field of sustainable design and fashion,” said Bluepha’s co-founder and president Li Teng .

Luminy LCA

Separately, TotalEnergies Corbion has just published a life cycle assessment (LCA) for its recycled Luminy PLA which concludes that the advanced recycling of PLA as a production process has a lower impact compared to its production from virgin feedstock. Specifically, the global warming potential (GWP) of Luminy 30% rPLA, is 0.19 kgCO2/kg of PLA, whereas virgin Luminy PLA emits 0.51 kgCO2/kg of PLA.

The company’s assessment highlights the importance of considering the temporary carbon storage in products which is key for biobased materials. By analyzing the carbon cycle for both biobased and fossil-based products, the report emphasizes the role of biogenic carbon content in PLA. Recycling PLA allows a longer storage of this biogenic carbon which is originally from the atmosphere.

“Depolymerizing PLA via hydrolysis is an energy-efficient process allowing us to close the loop and increase circularity for a biobased material,” said Maelenn Ravard, regulatory and sustainability manager at TotalEnergies Corbion. “The LCA results only confirm this.”

www.totalenergies-corbion.com