Chapter 20Metabolic Engineering of Microorganisms for the Production of Lactate-Containing Polyesters
Yokimiko David, Sang Yup Lee and Si Jae Park
Polylactic acid (PLA) is considered as a biomass-driven alternative to petroleum-based plastic and has biocompatible properties such as biodegradability and low toxicity to humans and environment [1, 2]. The current commercial process of PLA synthesis is not simple, in which ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of lactide, a cyclic dimer of lactate, is employed because direct polycondensation of lactic acid cannot provide PLA with high molecular weight over 200 000 Da [2, 3]. (l)-Lactic acid, the monomer source of PLA synthesis, is produced by the microbial fermentation, in which microorganisms such ...
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