Abstract
The present study involves synthesis of polylactic acid (PLA) using purified lactic acid from fermented broth of Jackal jujube (Zizyphus oenophlia). A polyphenolic compound, humic acid (HA) of biological origin was incorporated to the PLA in order to reinforce the PLA chain without compromising its biodegradability and biocompatibility. Under optimized conditions of polymerization, modified L-PLA yield improved up to 93%. The molecular weight was found to be 6.4×105. Different physicochemical properties of the polymer were explored for its further application in different fields. Incorporation of intermolecular bond between PLA and HA was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy technique. Addition of HA not only reduced the crystallinity of PLA, but also had increased flexibility and elasticity to much greater extent. The results showed that, apart from enhancing the physicochemical properties of PLA, the process also had reduced the production cost of the polymer, while mitigating the demands of environmental protection agencies.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Tsuji H. Poly (lactide) stereocomplexes: Formation, structure, properties, degradation, and applications. Macromol. Biosci. 5: 569–597 (2005)
Inkinen S, Hakkarainen M, Albertsson A, Sodergard A. From lactic acid to poly(lactic acid) (PLA): Characterization and analysis of PLA and its precursors. Biomacromolecules 11: 1847–1855 (2010)
Rhim JW. Potential use of biopolymer-based nanocomposite films in food packaging applications. Food Sci. Biotechnol. 16: 691–709 (2007)
Nampoothiri KM, Nair NR, John RP. An overview of the recent developments in polylactide (PLA) research. Bioresource Technol. 22: 8493–8501 (2010)
Gupta AP, Kumar V. New emerging trends in synthetic biodegradable polymers-polylactide: A crutique. Eur. Polym. J. 43: 4053–4074 (2007)
Rasal RM, Janorkar AV, Hirt DE. Poly (lactic acid) modifications. Prog. Polym. Sci. 33: 338–356 (2010)
Jung YK, Lee SK. Efficient production of polylactic acid and its copolymers by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli. J. Biotechnol. 151: 94–101 (2011)
Wang S, Cui W, Bei J. Bulk and surface modifications of polylactide. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 381: 547–556 (2005)
Selukar BS, Parwe KK, Mohite BG. Synthesis and characterization of linear polylactic acid-based urethanes using tin modified solid cloisite-30B catalyst. Adv. Mat. Lett. 3: 161–171 (2012)
Saffer EM, Tew GN, Bhatia SR. Poly(lactic acid)-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymers: New directions in self-assembly and biomedical applications. Curr. Med. Chem. 18: 5676–5686 (2011)
Hoidy WH, Ahmad MB, Mulla EAJ, Ibrahim NAB. Preparation and characterization of polylactic acid/polycaprolactone clay nanocomposites. J. Appl. Sci. 10: 97–106 (2010)
Zhang JF, Sun X. Mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid)/starch blends with dioctyl maleate. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 94: 1697–1704 (2004)
Zhang J, Roberts CJ, Shakesheff KM, Davies MC, Tendler SJB. Micro and macrothermal analysis of a bioactive surface-engineered polymer formed by physical entrapment of poly(ethylene glycol) into poly(lactic acid). Macromolecules 36: 1215–1221 (2003)
Kim KS, Chin IJ, Yoon JS, Choi HJ, Lee DC, Lee KH. Crystallization behavior and mechanical properties of poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(llactide)/poly(vinyl acetate) blends. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 82: 3618–3626 (2001)
Pena-Mendez EM, Fetsch D, Havel J. Aggregation of humic acids in aqueous solution vapor pressure osmometric, conductivity, spectrophotometric study. Anal. Chim. Acta (in press) (2004)
Bishai M, De S, Adhikari B, Banerjee R. Zizyphus oenophlia: A potent substrate for lactic acid production. Bioresource Technol. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2012.12.049 (2012)
Giovanela M, Parlanti E, Soriano-Sierra EJ, Soldi MS, Sierra MMD. Elemental compositions, ft-ir spectra, and thermal behavior of sedimentary fulvic and humic acids from aquatic and terrestrial environments. Geochem. J. 38: 255–264 (2004)
Pavia DL, Lampman GM, Kriz GS. Introduction to Spectroscopy: A Guide for Students of Organic Chemistry. Brooks/Cole, Pacific Grore, CA, USA (2001)
Rasal RM. Surafce and bulk modification of poly(lactic acid). PhD thesis, Chemical Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA (2009)
Nikolic L, Ristic I, Adnadjevic B, Nikolic V, Jovanovic J, Stankovic M. Novel microwave-assisted synthesis of poly (D,L-lactide): The influence of monomer/initiator molar ratio on the product properties. Sensors 10: 5063–5073 (2010)
Luo SH, Wang ZY, Mao CX, Huo JP. Synthesis of biodegradable material poly (lactic acid-co-glycerol) via direct melt polycondensation and its reaction mechanism. J. Polym. Res. 18: 2093–2102 (2011)
Wang ZY, Zhao YM, Wang F, Wang J. Syntheses of poly (lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) serial biodegradable polymer materials via direct melt polycondensation and their characterization. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 99: 244–252 (2006)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bishai, M., De, S., Adhikari, B. et al. Copolymerization of lactic acid for cost-effective PLA synthesis and studies on its improved characteristics. Food Sci Biotechnol 22 (Suppl 1), 73–77 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-013-0051-7
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-013-0051-7