Depolymerisation of poly(lactide) under continuous flow conditions.

Poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) is commercially successful bio-based plastic, where end-of-life materials can undergo industrial composting. To create a circular economy, a desirable alternative to composting is chemical recycling to monomer (CRM), where direct depolymerisation to l-lactide can be achieved. CRM of PLLA is typically impeded by thermal decomposition and side reactions, due to the high ceiling temperate ( ) of PLLA in bulk (>600 °C), which preclude implementation on a large scale, and has led to the development of catalytic strategies, under vacuum or high dilution in high boiling point solvents conditions.