title: Bioprocessing of glycerol into glyceric Acid for use in bioplastic monomer.
abstract: Utilization of excess glycerol supplies derived from the burgeoning biodiesel industry has recently become very important. Glyceric acid (GA) is one of the most promising glycerol derivatives, and it is abundantly obtained from glycerol by a bioprocess using acetic acid bacteria. In this study, a novel branched-type poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was synthesized by polycondensation of lactide in the presence of GA. The resulting branched PLA had lower crystallinity and glass transition temperatures than the conventional linear PLA, and the peak associated with the melting point of the branched PLA disappeared. Moreover, in a blend of the branched polymer, the crystallization of the linear PLA occurred at a lower temperature. Thus, the branched PLA containing GA synthesized in this study could potentially be used as a novel bio-based modifier for PLA.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Innovation in Sustainable Chemistry, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).
authors.forename: Tokuma
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukuoka
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Habe
authors.forename: Dai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kitamoto
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakaki
mesh_terms: D019342:Acetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D056804:Biofuels; D003460:Crystallization; D005285:Fermentation; D005988:Glyceric Acids / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D005990:Glycerol / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D007218:Industrial Microbiology / Q000379:methods*; D007220:Industrial Waste; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D010969:Plastics / Q000737:chemistry*; D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D044366:Transition Temperature
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D005988:Glyceric Acids; D007220:Industrial Waste; D010969:Plastics; D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers; D019344:Lactic Acid; C033616:poly(lactide); C042971:glyceric acid; D005990:Glycerol; D019342:Acetic Acid