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Polylactic acid synthesis, biodegradability, conversion to microplastics and toxicity: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters 2023 254 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 70 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Wajid Ali, Wajid Ali, Wajid Ali, Wajid Ali, Wajid Ali, Wajid Ali, Wajid Ali, Wajid Ali, Hazrat Ali, Hazrat Ali, Sami Souissi Sami Souissi Sayed Gillani, Sayed Gillani, Philippe Zinck, Philippe Zinck, Sami Souissi Philippe Zinck, Wajid Ali, Sami Souissi Sami Souissi Sami Souissi Sami Souissi Philippe Zinck, Philippe Zinck, Sami Souissi Sami Souissi Sami Souissi Sami Souissi Philippe Zinck, Philippe Zinck, Philippe Zinck, Sami Souissi Sami Souissi Sami Souissi Sami Souissi Sami Souissi Hazrat Ali, Sami Souissi Wajid Ali, Sami Souissi Philippe Zinck, Sami Souissi Sami Souissi Sami Souissi

Summary

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.

Abstract Global pollution by plastics derived from petroleum has fostered the development of carbon–neutral, biodegradable bioplastics synthesized from renewable resources such as modern biomass, yet knowledge on the impact of bioplastics on ecosystems is limited. Here we review the polylactic acid plastic with focus on synthesis, biodegradability tuning, environmental conversion to microplastics, and impact on microbes, algae, phytoplankton, zooplankton, annelids, mollusk and fish. Polylactic acid is a low weight semi-crystalline bioplastic used in agriculture, medicine, packaging and textile. Polylactic acid is one of the most widely used biopolymers, accounting for 33% of all bioplastics produced in 2021. Although biodegradable in vivo , polylactic acid is not completely degradable under natural environmental conditions, notably under aquatic conditions. Polylactic acid disintegrates into microplastics faster than petroleum-based plastics and may pose severe threats to the exposed biota.

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