Biodegradability and biodegradation of poly(lactide)

Abstract

Poly(lactide) (PLA) has been developed and made commercially available in recent years. One of the major tasks to be taken before the widespread application of PLA is the fundamental understanding of its biodegradation mechanisms. This paper provides a short overview on the biodegradability and biodegradation of PLA. Emphasis is focused mainly on microbial and enzymatic degradation. Most of the PLA-degrading microorganisms phylogenetically belong to the family of Pseudonocardiaceae and related genera such as Amycolatopsis, Lentzea, Kibdelosporangium, Streptoalloteichus, and Saccharothrix. Several proteinous materials such as silk fibroin, elastin, gelatin, and some peptides and amino acids were found to stimulate the production of enzymes from PLA-degrading microorganisms. In addition to proteinase K from Tritirachium album, subtilisin, a microbial serine protease and some mammalian serine proteases such as alpha-chymotrypsin, trypsin, and elastase could also degrade PLA.

Characterization of poly(L-lactide)-degrading enzyme produced by thermophilic filamentous bacteria Laceyella sacchari LP175

“…Poly(L-lactide) (PLLA); (C 3 H 4 O 2 )n is one of the aliphatic biodegradable polyesters derived from renewable resources such as corn, cassava, sugar cane, rice and potato through lactic acid fermentation, and it is also fully degradable by both microbial and enzymatic processes (Tokiwa et al, 2009;Gupta et al, 2007;Jarerat et al, 2006;Tokiwa and Calabia, 2006;Tomita et al, 2004). PLLA, as an environmentally friendly (eco-friendly or green ) product, has been developed on a large scale and is currently used for a wide range of applications, including packaging materials (Bhalla et al, 2007;Nolan-Itu Pty Ltd., 2002), medical applications (Jalil, 1990), agricultural products (Gross and Kalra, 2002;Sakai et al, 2001) and textiles.…”

New Insight into Biodegradation of Poly (L-Lactide), Enzyme Production and Characterization

“…The enzymatic degradation of aliphatic polyesters by hydrolysis is a two-step process. The first step is adsorption of the enzyme on the surface of the substrate through surface-binding domain and the second step is hydrolysis of the ester bond (Tokiwa & Calabia, 2006). Williams (1981) first reported the degradation of L-PLA by proteinase K from T. album.…”

Biodegradable Polymers: Recent Developments and New Perspectives

“…Because of these excellent characteristics, PLAs are used in packaging, containers, stationary and medical and agricultural materials [31,32]. PLAs are produced from renewable biomass through a chemo-bioprocess consisting of the fermentative production of lactic acid (LA) and chemical polymerization.…”