Environment friendly, renewable and sustainable poly lactic acid (PLA) based natural fiber reinforced composites – A comprehensive review

The Environmental concern and awareness around the globe have led to the development of sustainable bio composites which are derived from renewable resources. Biodegradable polymers and natural fibers derived from different renewable resources have played a vital role in the manufacture of bio composites. Poly lactic acid or polylactide (PLA) is one of the versatile aliphatic linear thermoplastic biodegradable polymers obtained from fully renewable sources such as wheat, corn, rice and sweet potato, and it has unique characteristics like renewable, sustainable, biocompatible and compostable. PLA has distinct advantages like low energy consumption and emission of low greenhouse gas during production and suitable for 3D printing applications. It also has some demerits such as low gas and water barrier properties, poor toughness, low glass transition temperature and is hydrophilic in nature, which limit its use in commercial applications. To overcome this, PLA is blended with various natural fibers in order to improve the thermal, water barrier, crystallization, mechanical, antimicrobial and degradability properties. Moreover, inclusion of natural fibers not only decreases the cost of PLA products but also helps in producing good competitive commercial products which are used in different industries. Hence, this review focuses on the synthesis and degradation of PLA, its applications in various sectors and manufacturing methods involved in PLA composites. Moreover, this review discusses about the different types of natural fibers and their influence on the unique properties of PLA based natural fiber reinforced composites. The overall aim of this paper is to provide a holistic idea about PLA based bio composites to academicians, industry personnel and researchers.