chain cleavage. Polylactic acid is often blended with starch to
increase biodegradability and reduce costs. However, the
brittleness of the starch–polylactic acid blend is a major
drawback in many applications. To remedy this limitation, a
number of low molecular weight plasticisers such as glycerol,
sorbitol, and triethyl citrate are used. A number of companies
produce polylactic acid, such as Cargill Dow LLC. Polylactic
acid produced by Cargill Dow was originally sold under the
name Eco Polylactic acid, but now is known as NatureWorks
Polylactic acid, which is actually a family of polylactic acid
polymers that can be used alone or blended with other naturalbased
polymers (Developing Products that Protect the Environment
2007). PBS is a biodegradable synthetic aliphatic
polyester with properties similar to those of PET. PBS is
generally blended with other compounds to make its use
economical. PBS has excellent mechanical properties and
can be applied to a range of end applications via conventional
melt processing techniques.