Biodegradation of Injection Molded Samples Made of Different PLA Grades in Composting Conditions

PolyLacticAcid (PLA) has been studied extensively as possible replacements for plastics mainly in the area of packaging. However, in order to address the growing demand for materials with controlled degradation characteristics and desirable mechanical properties, an effort must be done for characterize all the factors that influence the biodegradation process. This paper aims at investigating the biodegradation of massive injection molded samples of PLA, by analyzing the behavior of three commercial grades which present different molecular weights and different percentages of D-enantiomer (and thus different crystallization rates). The experimental evidences obtained will be used as a basis for a phenomenological description of the biodegradation mechanisms.