Synthesis polylactic acid by lipase catalyzed polymerization biology essay

Polylactic acid (PLA) is one of the most promising biopolymers as it can be produced from nontoxic renewable feedstock. PLA has emerged as an important polymeric material for biomedical applications on account of its properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, mechanical strength and process ability.

Polylactic acid or the short name is PLA is a thermoplastic aliphatic polyester which a synthetic polymer based on lactic acid (LA) and have a helical structure was shown in Figure 1. PLA derived from the fermentation of renewable resources such as corn starch, tapioca products and sugarcanes.

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable which derived from renewable resources. The synthesis of PLA from ring opening polymerization of lactic acid (LA) start at polycondensation of LA for obtain lactide formation, then lipase catalyze the reaction for obtain PLA.

Polylactic acid (PLA), the biodegradable polymer, has received increasing attention as alternative materials in packaging and biomedical applications. The general method for synthesis of PLA using chemical-catalyzed polymerization produces the catalysts residues which are toxicity.