Lactic acid is a chemical compound that is used extensively in bio-chemical processes in the field of bio-technology. Lactic acid can be produced naturally or synthetically. Lactic acid is produced naturally by fermentation of carbohydrates such
as sucrose or lactose and glucose.The current world market leader in the commercial production of lactic acid is PURAC which is a global industry.
Many foodstuffs incorporate naturally present lactic acid. Natural fermentation in products such as cheese, yogurt, meat products and pickled vegetables leads to formation of naturally present lactic acid. It is also naturally present in humans, as well as in animals. It is formed from glycogen by muscle cells when the
oxygen supply is inadequate to support energy production.
Lactic acid has many applications, but the most trending application of lactic acid is it's use in production of
Poly Lactic Acid (PLA). Lactic acid acts as a primary building block for Poly Lactic Acid. Poly lactic acid is a bio-degradable and bio-based polymer. It is used to produce renewable and compostable plastic. Moving further, Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) can be defined as bio-plastic substitute or alternative to petroleum-based plastics. PLA are made mostly from fermented plant starch, tapioca roots and sugarcane.
The Advantages of Poly Lactic Acid are that it is low cost, has high mechanical performance; has good barrier properties and has good heat seal-ability. The main advantages of poly lactic acid lies within its production which is from renewable raw material-Lactic acid. This provides bio-plastic its versatility. PLA offers huge potential above all for short lifespan packaging such as
yoghurt pots and fruit and vegetable trays. It is also used as an advantage in some areas of the construction and automotive industries. It can be made to degrade quickly or last for
years as per the demand. The use of PLA from renewable raw materials helps conserve fossil fuels and fossil
resources such as oil.
The wide applications areas of poly lactic acid (PLA) are as follows :
- Packaging.
- Building.
- Agriculture.
- Transportation.
- Furniture.
- Electric appliance and electronics.
- House-ware.
- Fibers and fabrics.
The Poly Lactic Acid Market is seeing exponential growth in recent years due to public awareness about environment, economics and safety challenges. The Poly Lactic Acid Market is segmented on the basis of following criteria :
- Raw materials used: Corn (maize) starch, sugarcane and sugar beet, tapioca roots etc.
- Geography: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Rest of World (ROW).
PLA GROWTH TRENDS, BY GEOGRAPHY, 2009 – 2016
Source: ICIS, NNFCC, European Bioplastics, Purac, Galactic, Total Petrochemicals, Primary Interviews, MarketsandMarkets
PLA is a growing alternative as a “green” food packaging polymer. Furthermore advantages mentioned above have lead to increasing demand and growth of the PLA market globally. The global Poly Lactic Acid is expected
to reach worth $3,831.3 million by 2016, growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 18.7% from 2011
to 2016. Europe is leading PLA market followed by North America. Asia-Pacific is new emerging market in recent years and will grow exponentially in near future.
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