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The United States surpassed Western Europe as the largest consumer of lactic
acid in 2001–2002 with the commissioning of NatureWorks’ (formerly
Cargill Dow’s) polylactic acid (PLA) plant in late 2001. At full capacity,
the PLA plant would require approximately 180 thousand metric tons of lactic
acid per year. In recent years, Other Asia has replaced Western Europe as the
second-largest consumer of lactic acid products. Both the United States and
Other Asia will continue to experience high annual growth—11% and 10%,
respectively—in the next few years. Globally, lactic acid consumption
will continue to increase significantly, at about 9% per year from 2005 to
2010.
In the last few years, lactic acid consumption for industrial applications
has overtaken the food and beverage industry as the leading market for lactic
acid use. This shift is expected to continue as growth rates for industrial
uses will be higher than growth rates for other uses. It is expected that,
by 2010, industrial applications will account for half of global lactic acid
use.
The following pie chart shows world consumption of lactic acid:
Growth in demand for lactic acid and its salts and esters in industrial applications
will be driven mainly by lactic acid–based biodegradable polymers and,
to a lesser degree, lactate solvents. The use of polylactic acid, especially
in the plastics packaging and container markets, is being highly promoted because
of its environmentally friendly characteristics. Environmental benefits include
product biodegradability; composting of waste by-products from PLA production;
growth in the use of plant-based materials, which reduces carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere; and the potential energy saved versus conventional polymer
production. In the United States, PLA demand for industrial applications such
as fibers, containers and packaging is expected to continue to increase. Likewise,
demand for PLA will increase significantly in Western Europe, mainly for packaging
uses.
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