Synthetic Biopolymer: Polylactic Acid or Polylactide (PLA)

Enzyme used to make PLA: Ralstonia eutropha Polylactic acid is produced through the fermentation of cornstarch or glucose into lactic acid using the bacteria Ralstonia eutropha. The lactic acid is then converted to Polylactic acid using traditional polymerization processes. Evaluation of the use of PLA Currently Polylactic acid is used in a number of biomedical applications, such as sutures, tissue engineering and absorbable wound closure products. Currently PLA is more expensive then other plastics, but …showed first 75 words of 389 total…

…showed last 75 words of 389 total…concerns about how to balance the need to grow plants for food and the need to grow plants for use as raw materials. Agricultural space therefore needs to be shared. It is obvious that Polylactic acid has many potential benefits and uses as a biodegradable plastic. However, there are still social impacts and efficiency concerns which need to be addressed in order for PLA to become a sustainable and economically viable alternative to petrochemical plastics.