The high economic growth of the 20th century has led to three big problems, exhaustion of oil reserves, increases in greenhouse gas emission, and solid waste management, in consequence of the mass production, mass consumption, and mass disposal of conventional synthetic polymer products made from oil as their feedstock source.
The current crisis in solid waste management like the ocean contamination by plastics has focused attention on the development of biodegradable /compostable materials in natural environment, in soil, in sea water or in compost. This article will discuss the high-performance technologies of biodegradable plastics, particularly focusing on poly (lactic acid)(PLA) made from renewable resources.