PLA poly lactic Acid

Poly lactic acid (PLA) is a thermoplastic aliphatic polyester, that derived from renewable
sources such as corn starch and sugarcane. it is a biodegradable and compostable thermoplastic.
It is produced by chemical synthesis from bio-derived monomers. Basically PLA is involving on
agricultural (crop growing), biological (fermentation) and chemical (polymerization) sciences
and technologies. The use of PLA is for consumer goods and packaging applications. It has
been considered as one of the solutions to alleviate solid waste and reduce the dependence on
petroleum-based plastics for packaging. Its low toxicity, along with its environmentally friendly
characteristics, has made PLA an ideal material for food packaging. PLA has reasonably good
optical, physical, mechanical and barrier properties compared to existing petroleum-based
polymer. The main method for PLA are based on melt processing. This approach involves
heating the polymer above its melting point, shaping it to desired forms, and cooling to stabilize
its dimensions. Example of melt processed PLA are extruded cast and oriented films, melt spun
fibres for nonwovens, textiles and carpets. The advantages of PLA are significant energy saving,
able to recycle back to lactic acid by hydrolysis or alcoholysis, capable to produce hybrid paper
plastic packaging that is compostable, reduction of landfill volumes and improvement of the
agricultural economy.