Lipase- catalyzed synthesis of polylactic acid: An overview of the experimental aspects

V. LASSALLE; M.L.FERREIRA

JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

Wiley

Año: 2008 vol. 83 p. 1493 - 1502

0268-2575

Abstract BACKGROUND: The enzymes have gained great attention as biocatalysts. The poly(lactic) acid (PLA) has been widely employed for biomedical ends, thus special interest exists in PLA synthesis by a “green route”. Here we aim to prepare PLA using lipases, focusing on the experimental aspects to the optimization of the procedure. The kind and concentration of lipase, kind of reaction, solvent, and time have been explored regarding to the recovering of solid polyester, the conversion and molecular weight. Pseudomonas cepacia (PCL), Porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL) and immobilized CAL-B were used as biocatalysts.   RESULTS: CAL-B was the most effective, with 60% of LA conversion and 55% of recovered solid polymer; while PCL and PPL gave rise to poor recuperation of polymer.  Furthermore a novel thermal treatment was successfully employed to enhance the Mn of PLA. CONCLUSIONS: This article offers a set of optimal conditions to synthesize PLA as a function of the used lipase. Information of this nature is actually unreported in the available literature, thus the findings here included appear as a valuable tool for any researcher that begins in this topic and a state-of-the-art contribution in terms of the best biocatalyst and the best conditions for PLA synthesis.