Sweeten the Planet with Polylactic Acid (PLA)

• Melissa Djonlich
• Mariana St. Peter
• Caleb Tristano
• Jasmine Villegas

Advisors: Betul Bilgin, Phd, Patrick Shannon

One million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute around the world while more than 8.3 billion tons of plastic has been produced since the 1950s. Studies have shown that 60% of all plastic will end up either in landfills or natural environments. Petroleum-based plastics can take thousands of years to degrade. The solution to reducing the environmental impact of non-degradable plastics is polylactic acid, or PLA: a biomass derived chain of lactic acid monomers that can be used to replace single-use food-grade plastics. The FDA recognizes PLA as safe for all food packaging due to its non-toxic properties. PLA is also biodegradable, decomposing into biomass, methane, and hydrocarbons. The goal of this project is to design a plant in Shanghai, China that will produce PLA from glucose and optimize the design economically, sustainably and efficiently. Our process begins with the fermentation of crude lactic acid using Lactobacillius and glucose. Crude lactic acid then goes through a purification process involving reactive distillation and separation processes, resulting in purified lactic acid. Finally, the purified lactic acid is polymerized via a ring opening two-step catalytic reaction, producing around 150 tons/year of PLA, helping to mitigate plastic pollution around the globe.

See supporting documentation in the team’s Box drive.