Catalytic Amination of Polylactic Acid to Alanine

In comparison to the traditional petroleum-based plastics, polylactic acid, the most popular biodegradable plastic, can be decomposed into carbon dioxide and water in the environment. However, the natural degradation of polylactic acid requires a substantial period of time and, more importantly, it is a carbon-emitting process. Therefore, it is highly desirable to develop a novel transformation process that can upcycle the plastic trash into value-added products, especially with high chemical selectivity. Here we demonstrate a one-pot catalytic method to convert polylactic acid into alanine by a simple ammonia solution treatment using a Ru/TiO2 catalyst. The process has a 77% yield of alanine at 140 °C, and an overall selectivity of 94% can be reached by recycling experiments. Importantly, no added hydrogen is used in this process. It has been verified that lactamide and ammonium lactate are the initial intermediates and that the dehydrogenation of ammonium lactate initiates the amination, while Ru nanoparticles are essential for the dehydrogenation/rehydrogenation and amination steps. The process demonstrated here could expand the application of polylactic acid waste and inspire new upcycling strategies for different plastic wastes.