Process for preparing crystallized polylactide

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for improving the crystallization of polylactide, and in particular for increasing crystallization speed of a PLA polymer. The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of crystallized PLA pellets, which in particular comprises the steps of: a) providing a PLA polymer melt, wherein the PLA polymer has a content of D-lactide isomer of between 1.0 and 10.0 wt % of said PLA polymer; b) pelletizing the PLA polymer melt into PLA pellets, and c) crystallizing said PLA pellets, thereby obtaining a crystallized PLA pellets, wherein said process is characterised in that amide, preferably a fatty acid amide, is added to said PLA polymer melt prior to pelletization, to form a PLA polymer melt comprising amide in a total amount of between 10 and 2000 ppm of the PLA polymer melt. The present invention also relates to a crystallised PLA, in particular crystallized PLA pellets, obtainable or obtained by carrying out a process of the invention.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.