Optimization of the Degradation Processes for Polylactic Acid using Microbial Enzymes: A Brief Summary

Polylactic acid (PLA) has emerged as a desirable bioplastic due to its production from renewable materials and biodegradability. However, its low toughness and fragility limit its applications, prompting the blending of PLA with other biopolymers to enhance its properties. As the global demand for bioplastics increases, efficient processes for PLA degradation are needed to match the high rate of plastic production. Chemical, microbial, and enzymatic processing are the major methods of PLA degradation, with enzymatic processing being environmentally friendly and sustainable. recyclable products like lactic acid can also be recovered. This creates a need to determine suitable enzymes that can hydrolyze polylactic acid.  PLA exhibits high resistance to direct microbial degradation, making microbial enzymatic processing a more attractive alternative. Microbial enzymes, including proteases, lipases, esterases, and cutinases, have shown potential for PLA degradation. Nevertheless, current research on the enzymatic degradation of PLA needs comprehensive studies on optimal processes, conditions, and influencing factors. This review aims to address this gap by examining microbial enzymes and their processes for the enzymatic degradation of PLA. Findings indicate that microbial enzymes like proteinase K, Savinase, and Alcalase show promise for efficient PLA degradation under optimized conditions. Further research should, therefore, focus on exploring these enzymes further, refining enzymatic degradation processes, exploring genetic modifications of these enzymes, and developing sustainable recycling methods to advance bioplastics like PLA and address plastic pollution challenges effectively. Keywords: Polylactic acid; enzymatic degradation; microbial enzymes; optimization; bioplastic; biodegradability; plastic pollution; bioremediation.