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Copolymerization of lactic acid for cost-effective PLA synthesis and studies on its improved characteristics

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Abstract

The present study involves synthesis of polylactic acid (PLA) using purified lactic acid from fermented broth of Jackal jujube (Zizyphus oenophlia). A polyphenolic compound, humic acid (HA) of biological origin was incorporated to the PLA in order to reinforce the PLA chain without compromising its biodegradability and biocompatibility. Under optimized conditions of polymerization, modified L-PLA yield improved up to 93%. The molecular weight was found to be 6.4×105. Different physicochemical properties of the polymer were explored for its further application in different fields. Incorporation of intermolecular bond between PLA and HA was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy technique. Addition of HA not only reduced the crystallinity of PLA, but also had increased flexibility and elasticity to much greater extent. The results showed that, apart from enhancing the physicochemical properties of PLA, the process also had reduced the production cost of the polymer, while mitigating the demands of environmental protection agencies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microbial Biotechnology and Downstream Processing Laboratory, Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, 721 302, India

    Moumita Bishai, Swarnalok De & Rintu Banerjee

  2. Materials Science Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, 721 302, India

    Basudam Adhikari

Authors
  1. Moumita Bishai
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  2. Swarnalok De
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  3. Basudam Adhikari
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  4. Rintu Banerjee
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Correspondence to Rintu Banerjee.

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Bishai, M., De, S., Adhikari, B. et al. Copolymerization of lactic acid for cost-effective PLA synthesis and studies on its improved characteristics. Food Sci Biotechnol 22 (Suppl 1), 73–77 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-013-0051-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-013-0051-7

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