NNFCCThis Factsheet gives an overview of the current and potential market for biorenewable lactic acid (CH3CHOHCOOH)

- Global Production: >300,000 tonne

- Current Market Price: $1,300-1,600 per tonne 1

- Renewable Capacity: >500,000 tonne

- Renewable Technology Status: Commercial

- Major Current Use: Polymers for the packaging industry

Lactic acid is a bulk chemical demonstrating strong market growth. Global production capacity is over 500,000 tonnes with current production between 300,000-400,000 tonnes per year.

Current applicationsLactic acid has a long history of applications in the food and beverage sector as a preservative and pH adjusting agent. It is used in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, as a solvent and a starting material in the production of lactate ester, among others. Lactic acid is also used as a standard or active ingredient in personal care products, due to its moisturising, pH regulating and skin lightening properties.

Polymerisation of lactic acid produces a biodegradable polymer polylactic acid (PLA) which is used in food packaging including rigid containers, shrink wrap and short shelf-life trays, as well as mulch films and rubbish bags.

Potential Market GrowthLactic acid is included in the US Department of Energy’s top 30 chemical building block candidates from sugars, with potential for significant market growth in the manufacture of PLA and solvents 2. The industrial applications segment as a whole is growing at a rate of 19% per year 3.

Polymers ● PLA is a biodegradable lactic acid based

polymer, which is suited to a broad range of packaging applications including films and rigid containers.

● The market for PLA is growing at a rate of 22% per year3. Further market growth could result from the enhanced thermal properties of the hetropolymer which combines L(+)- and D(-)-lactic acid.

● European demand for PLA is currently 25,000 tonnes per year, and could potentially reach 650,000 tonnes per year in 2025 4. Polylactide may also be used as a fibre for clothing, carpets and industrial applications.

Solvents

● Lactate esters (ethyl lactate and butyl lactate) are biodegradable and non-toxic solvents with industrial and consumer applications.

● The use of lactate esters has to date, been limited by cost. Processing advances have the potential to reduce the cost of ethyl lactate to $1,700-2,000 per tonne, allowing the solvent to compete for a greater proportion of the 3.6-4.5 million tonnes per year global solvent market.

MarketsIntroduction

Lactic Acid Platform Chemicals

Renewable Chemicals Factsheet

Contact Dr Adrian HigsonHead of BiorefiningTel: +44 (0) 1904 435182enquiries@nnfcc.co.ukwww.nnfcc.co.uk Image courtesy of Dupont

Updated February 2011

Production Route from BiomassLactic acid is produced by the fermentation of starch. Homolactic fermentation produces predominantly lactic acid, whilst hetrolactic fermentation produces a mixture of lactic acid, acetic acid, ethanol and formic acid. The selectivity is determined by the organisms used. Industrially used bacteria include Lactobacillus acidophilus and Streptococcus thermophilus.

There are two optical isomers of lactic acid: L(+)-lactic acid and D(-)-lactic acid. Fermentation routes to lactic acid can produce optically pure L(+)- or D(-)-lactic acid, depending on the bacteria selection.

The output of fermentation is an aqueous lactic acid solution which is concentrated by evaporation. Yields of lactic acid in commercial operations are typically >90% of fermentable sugars. Cost reductions are being sought through the design of processes which are feedstock flexible, as well as the use of cheaper feedstocks such as lignocellulose.

Current StatusAlmost all lactic acid produced globally is manufactured by fermentation routes, due to lower production cost and market drivers for biorenewable products. The production of L(+)-lactic acid is commercially mature, with many producers globally, including Purac, Galactic, Archer Daniels Midland, and Cargill.

Purac have licensed technology developed by Myriant Technologies for the commercial production of D(-)-lactic acid, they opened a commercial plant in Thailand in 2008 with capacity to produce 100,000 tonnes per year.

Environmental PerformanceIt is difficult to quantify the greenhouse gas (GHG) savings realised by biorenewable lactic acid due to the variety of different processing routes in operation and the difficulty in selecting an appropriate petroleum based product for displacement. However, it is appropriate to compare PLA with polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), two products which PLA directly replaces within the market. Today’s technology for the manufacture of PLA realises GHG emissions savings in the range of 30 to 60%, whilst advances in processing technology could potentially increase the GHG emissions saving to around 80% 5.

The substitution of petroleum derived PET with starch derived PLA leads to non-renewable energy savings of 16 to 25 GJ/t (21-32%) based on today’s technology. Future technologies and the use of lignocellulosic feedstocks could increase this saving to 67%. The land requirement for lactic acid production through fermentation ranges from 0.05 to 0.22 ha/t depending on the technology and feedstock employed 5.

Galactic: www.lactic.com

Purac: www.purac.com

ADM: www.adm.com

NatureWorks LLC: www.natureworksllc.com

1 Young-Jung Wee, Jin-Nam Kim, Hwa-Won Ryu. Food Technology and Biotechnology: Biotechnological Production of Lactic Acid and Its Recent Applications; Vol. 44, March 20062 U.S. Department of Energy. Top Value Added Chemicals from Biomass; Volume 1: Results of Screening for Potential Candidates from Sugars and Synthesis Gas, 20043 NNFCC 08-008, Nexant ChemSystems. Biochemical Opportunities in the United Kingdom, September 2008 www.nnfcc.co.uk/metadot/index.pl?id=7934;isa=DBRow;op=show;dbview_id=25394 NNFCC 08-009, Peter Reineck Associates. Techno-Economic Assessment of the Potential for a PLA Manufacturing Plant in the UK; Summary Report, September 2008. www.nnfcc.co.uk/metadot/index.pl?id=7933;isa=DBRow;op=show;dbview_id=25395 The BREW Project. Medium and Long-term Opportunities and Risks of the Biotechnological Production of Bulk Chemicals from Renewable Resources – The Potential of White Biotechnology, 2006

References and Further Reading

Technology

Manufacturers