Anaerobic Digestion of PLA

Basics

• This page aims to cover the current state of the art of Anaerobic Digestion of Polylactic acid (PLA)
• It will then discuss how this can be adapted to Makerspace / Community Scale, Pro-Sumer Designs
• Some attention will also be given to associated Food Waste / Source Separated Organics
• Looking into the biodegradability of Metallized Plastic Film made from PLA for use in Emergency Blankets / Food Packaging etc
• ”Closing the Loop” of PLA (and related Bioplastics ) is a major part of building the sustainable future Waste Management System
  • Doing this with OSHW will also aid in adoption

Internal Links

• Open Source Thermophilic Anaerobic Biodigester

External Links

• A 2025 Study in “ Journal of Environmental Management” Titled “ The strategic role of a mild hydrothermal pretreatment in enhancing anaerobic degradation of commercial bio-based compostable plastics associated to food waste”
• A 2009 Study in “International Journal of Molecular Sciences” Titled “Anaerobic Biodegradation Tests of Poly(lactic acid) under Mesophilic and Thermophilic Conditions Using a New Evaluation System for Methane Fermentation in Anaerobic Sludge”
  • Mentions using PLA Powder
  • Speeds it up, but Microplastics / MNPs would ideally need to be managed
  • Although may be a decent analog for degradation of MNPs in Soil/Sewage Sludge
• A Study in “Environmental Research Letters” Titled “Life cycle assessment of polylactic acid municipal waste disposal in Belize”
  • Compared Anaerobic Digestion with Cogeneration (ie as RDF ) and disposal in a Sanitary Landfill
    • Was a very top down look, but offers some insights
    • Also need to see if their system involved Landfill Gas Flaring and/or Upgrading in the models