Who Said PLA-stics Don’t Grow on Trees?

Plastic is one of the most common, versatile, and practical materials in the world. The world currently produces over 250 million tons of plastic per year – which accounts for about 8% of the world’s oil consumption. Since the 1950s, over 9 billion tons of plastic have been produced, and less than 9% of that has been recycled. The rest of the non-recycled plastic typically ends in oceans, landfills, or is burned into the atmosphere. In contrast, bioplastics are sustainable because they are produced from renewable biomass resources including corn, sugar cane, algae and even food waste. Their sustainability and biodegradability make them important materials for the 21st century, as many nations begin to transition away from traditional plastics due to pollution and sustainability concerns. Polylactic acid (PLA) is at the front of the bioplastic revolution due to its versatility in terms of applications, sustainability, and ability to naturally degrade when exposed to the environment. The goal of this project is to design a plant in Minnesota that will produce 130,000 tons of PLA per year from a LA feedstock. The plant’s location was selected to take advantage of the bioplastics market in Canada while the US waits for more anticipated green policies and regulations under the Biden administration that aim to reduce fossil fuel dependence and promote green alternatives. Using LA as a feedstock takes advantage of the prevalence of local LA production in the area that uses corn as a source of starch. The proposed process uses two polymerization reactions and one depolymerization reaction which results in a desired weight of PLA which is then solidified and extruded into pellets to be used in the manufacturing of an extensive range of bioplastic products.