Polylactic Acid (PLA)
Polylactic acid begun to be commercially produced and directly used in the 1990’s, as it was manufactured in large quantities and used for profit. Since then, continuously increasing amounts are being produced, as more is being used in everyday items.
The biopolymer is a renewable source, as it is derived from plants, in particular corn crops.
Development of Polylactic Acid
1. Corn starch is harvested from corn crops.
2. The starch undergoes hydrolysis to break the bonds between glucose molecules in the starch, forming individual glucose molecules.
Hydrolysis: C6H10O5 + H2O ------> C6H12O6
3. The synthesis of polylactic acid requires bacteria or fungi, not enzymes. Hence, lactobacillus bacteria or rhizopus fungi are used …show more content…
There are both advantages and limitations of the use of the biopolymer polylactic acid, based on its properties.
Due to the high strength and ductility of polylactic acid, it can be used to make rigid plastic items such as containers. The strength allows the container to be solid and hold heavy items and the ductility allows it to be moulded without losing its strength.
Also, the high flexibility and ability to be moulded enables the biopolymer to be used to make flexible, yet strong items such as plastic bags and garbage bags.
Furthermore, polylactic acid is biodegradable, meaning it will easily break down in the environment by itself. This is better for the environment. As a result, polylactic acid can be used for plastic items which are going to be discarded, such as plastic food wraps.
However, there are also some limitations of this biopolymer, which impact society and the environment, impacting its potential. The high cost and expense to produce polylactic acid, compares to that of other plastics from fossil fuels, does not make it an economically viable …show more content…
• Due to cyclic nature of production of ethanol, does not add to growing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. • Most vehicle engines are made to use octane.
• Changing of car engines would be necessary in order to use pure ethanol as fuel.
• Large land requirements to produce crops for ethanol from glucose.
• Expensive to produce, as a lot of energy is required in the process of production, compared to expense of obtaining petrol from non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels.
• Generates less energy per gram, than that of octane. Ethanol releases 29.7 kJ of heat per gram, whereas octane releases 42kJ per gram.
Ethanol’s potential as an alternate fuel source in the present, is limited, as it is not a viable resource. High costs are required to produce ethanol, as is requires a large amount of energy and additionally, high costs are involved in altering engines to suit the use of pure ethanol. This makes the process extremely expensive. Furthermore, large amounts of energy and land are needed in order to produce crops for glucose and ethanol. This is both expensive and can be detrimental to the natural
Polylactic acid begun to be commercially produced and directly used in the 1990’s, as it was manufactured in large quantities and used for profit. Since then, continuously increasing amounts are being produced, as more is being used in everyday items.
The biopolymer is a renewable source, as it is derived from plants, in particular corn crops.
Development of Polylactic Acid
1. Corn starch is harvested from corn crops.
2. The starch undergoes hydrolysis to break the bonds between glucose molecules in the starch, forming individual glucose molecules.
Hydrolysis: C6H10O5 + H2O ------> C6H12O6
3. The synthesis of polylactic acid requires bacteria or fungi, not enzymes. Hence, lactobacillus bacteria or rhizopus fungi are used …show more content…
There are both advantages and limitations of the use of the biopolymer polylactic acid, based on its properties.
Due to the high strength and ductility of polylactic acid, it can be used to make rigid plastic items such as containers. The strength allows the container to be solid and hold heavy items and the ductility allows it to be moulded without losing its strength.
Also, the high flexibility and ability to be moulded enables the biopolymer to be used to make flexible, yet strong items such as plastic bags and garbage bags.
Furthermore, polylactic acid is biodegradable, meaning it will easily break down in the environment by itself. This is better for the environment. As a result, polylactic acid can be used for plastic items which are going to be discarded, such as plastic food wraps.
However, there are also some limitations of this biopolymer, which impact society and the environment, impacting its potential. The high cost and expense to produce polylactic acid, compares to that of other plastics from fossil fuels, does not make it an economically viable …show more content…
• Due to cyclic nature of production of ethanol, does not add to growing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. • Most vehicle engines are made to use octane.
• Changing of car engines would be necessary in order to use pure ethanol as fuel.
• Large land requirements to produce crops for ethanol from glucose.
• Expensive to produce, as a lot of energy is required in the process of production, compared to expense of obtaining petrol from non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels.
• Generates less energy per gram, than that of octane. Ethanol releases 29.7 kJ of heat per gram, whereas octane releases 42kJ per gram.
Ethanol’s potential as an alternate fuel source in the present, is limited, as it is not a viable resource. High costs are required to produce ethanol, as is requires a large amount of energy and additionally, high costs are involved in altering engines to suit the use of pure ethanol. This makes the process extremely expensive. Furthermore, large amounts of energy and land are needed in order to produce crops for glucose and ethanol. This is both expensive and can be detrimental to the natural