Work Hard, PLA Hard: Biodegradable Plastics From Renewable Resources

• Sanjana Epari
• Michael Shakro
• Grzegorz Kokoszka
• Jenine Agoncillo

On average, we use about 500 billion plastic bags per year. Due to the composition of these plastic bags, they will most likely be sent to landfills or incineration, increasing plastic pollution. A way to mitigate this problem is by utilizing polylactic acid (PLA), a polymer which is biodegradable by hydrolysis. PLA is most useful for short lifespan uses, such as plastics for packaging or plastic water bottles. PLA is also used in 3D printing due to its thermoplastic characteristics, and research is also underway for using PLA in medical applications such as bone transplants.  The goal of this project is to design a PLA production plant that produces PLA by means of fermentation, and to analyze its economic and environmental value. Dextrose from corn is chosen as the raw material for the fermentation step. Choosing corn over other raw materials such as sugar cane or sugar beet allows for more production of PLA per bushel and is the most plausible because the corn industry is more capable of handling any additional demands from PLA production. The global capacity for biodegradable plastics is around 912 kilo tons in 2018 and soon to grow to 1,300 kilo tons by 2023. In 2017, the global market was about USD 2.23 billion in revenue and is expected to reach to USD 4.32 billion by 2026. This shows that there is room for growth in the PLA industry. Overall, this project aims to improve the separations between the product and byproducts of this process in order to obtain the desired purity of PLA, which will minimize the cost of production and maximize profitability. PLA is a high-valued bioplastic that has exceptional thermal stability and mechanical properties as well as significant potential to diversify the plastics industry as being a clean and biodegradable plastic alternative.