Economic and environmentally viable preparation of a biodegradable polymer composite from lignocellulose

Composites consisting of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLA) produced from corn grains and additives produced from corn stover (cellulose and lignin) exhibit excellent economic and environmental feasibility. The generated composites were studied through experiments and simulations. The inclusion of cellulose and lignin increases the ductility of PLA and reduces its tensile strength because of the reduction in the crystallinity of PLA. PLA composites show similar hydrolytic stability to PLA. Additionally, the antioxidant properties of the composites increase with their lignin content. The minimum selling price (MSP) and global warming potential (GWP) of all PLA composites were investigated. The possible ranges of MSP and GWP of each PLA composite were validated through uncertainty analysis using Monte Carlo simulation. The MSP and GWP of the optimized PLA composite (PLA with 20 % cellulose + lignin) were 1.62 $/kg and 2.6 kg-CO2eq/kg, respectively. The PLA price and ratio in the proposed composites are the major factors affecting their economic and environmental potentials.(c) 2023 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.