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Production methods and applications of bioactive polylactic acid: a review
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This review covers methods for producing polylactic acid (PLA), a bioplastic made from renewable resources like corn starch, and enhancing it with bioactive compounds for medical and packaging uses. While PLA is promoted as a biodegradable alternative to conventional plastics, it does not always fully break down in the environment and can fragment into microplastics. Understanding PLA production and degradation is relevant to assessing whether bioplastics truly reduce microplastic pollution or simply change its composition.
Abstract Bioplastics appear as an alternative to fossil fuel-derived plastics because bioplastics are carbon neutral and often biodegradable, thus potentially solving the issues of plastic pollution and climate change. In particular, polylactic acid is a substitute for traditional petrochemical-based polymers. Here, we review polylactic acid production with focus on surface modification and integration of bioactive compounds. Surface can be modified by chemical treatment, photografting, surface entrapment, plasma treatment, and coating. Bioactive compounds can be incorporated by encapsulation, impregnation, melt blending, solvent casting, electrospinning, and in situ polymerization. Biomedical and packaging applications are discussed.
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This review examines how bio-based and biodegradable materials, especially polylactic acid (PLA), are being developed as sustainable alternatives for food packaging. While these materials aim to reduce petroleum-based plastic pollution, the review notes that biodegradable plastics can still break down into microplastics during their degradation process. Understanding the full lifecycle of these alternative materials is important for determining whether they truly reduce microplastic contamination.
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This review covers polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable plant-based polymer being developed as a more sustainable alternative to conventional plastics. PLA can be used for packaging and other applications, but improving its performance and reducing production costs remain challenges for wider adoption.
Bioplastics: Environment-friendly materials and their production technologies
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This review analyzes recent developments in bioplastics as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional plastics, examining raw material sources, production technologies, and biodegradation assessment methods, with special emphasis on polylactic acid (PLA) as the most widely used biodegradable polymer.
Polylactic acid synthesis, biodegradability, conversion to microplastics and toxicity: a review
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Researchers reviewed polylactic acid (PLA), a popular plant-based "biodegradable" plastic used in packaging and agriculture, finding that while it breaks down inside the body, it does not fully degrade under natural outdoor or aquatic conditions — and in fact fragments into microplastics faster than conventional petroleum-based plastics. This challenges the assumption that bioplastics are a straightforward environmental solution.
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