III. Chemicals

1. Polylactide (PLA), a biodegradable aliphatic polyester, has been studied extensively for its wide applications in various fields from food packaging to interior materials for automobiles. One of PLA’s advantages is that the raw material, lactic acid can be derived from renewable resources, which makes PLA very attractive for the packaging and considered as green packaging. Although, the cost of PLA is relatively higher compared to petroleum based packaging materials and it is predicted that the price will go down after commercial success of the process. This work presents a review on polylactide with focus on its chemistry, synthesis, properties, and applications.