Food industry, green polymer chemistry

Lactic acid is known to have numerous fields of industrial application, such as foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, textiles and chemicals (Wee et al. 2006). Via simple chemistry, lactic acid can be converted into lactic acid esters that constitute so-called green solvents. In the area of polymers, lactic acid opens the route for the chemical production of PLA and the biotechnological production of PHA (see Fig. 6). 

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