PLA

Polylactic acid (PLA), abbreviated as PLA, is a synthetic polymer material made by polymerization of lactic acid monomers and belongs to biodegradable plastics.

Lactic acid can be obtained by fermenting sugars from renewable resources such as corn and sugarcane. The production process of PLA is relatively environmentally friendly, as its raw materials are renewable and the final products are biodegradable. Therefore, it has been widely studied and applied in the field of sustainable development.

In composting (high temperature, high humidity) environment, polylactic acid undergoes hydrolysis reaction, some molecular chains break, disintegrate and break, and further degrade to produce oligomers or monomers. Oligomers are further converted into metabolites through microbial phagocytosis and digestion, and can be completely converted into water and CO2 within 180 days. Polylactic acid raw materials are converted from water and CO2 through photosynthesis in plants. After the materials are scrapped, they can be decomposed into water and CO2 through composting. Therefore, polylactic acid is a typical carbon neutral material.