Table 2 - L (+) lactic acid fermentation and its product polymerization

	Electronic Journal of Biotechnology ISSN: 0717-3458
	© 2004 by Universidad Católica de Valparaíso -- Chile
	Vol. 7 No. 2, Issue of August 15, 2004

Table 2. Overview of lactic acid based polymers prepared by direct polycondensation or by polycondensation followed by chain extension.

Molecular size prepared in kDa	Monomer/monomers	Linking agent	Macro molecular form	Reference
Low or medium molar mass < 70 kDa	L-lactic acid	nil	Linear homopolymer	Espartero et al. 1996; Ajioka et al. 1998
High molecular size >70 kDa	L-lactic acid	HMDI	Linear homopolymer	Hiltunen et al. 1997; Woo et al. 1995
High molecular size >70 kDa	L-lactic acid	Dipentaerythriitol	Star shaped homopolymer	Kim and Kim, 1999
Low molar mass < 20 kDa	L-lactic acid with 6-hydroxycapric acid; L-lactic acid with caprolactone	Nil with 6hydroxycaproic acid, and HMDI for caprolactone monomer polymerization	Linear copolymer	Kylma et al. 1997; Kawasaki et al. 1998
High molecular size > 70 kDa	L-lactic acid with Butandiol; L-lactic acid with mandelic acid	HMDI; IPDI	Copolymers	Kylma and Seppala, 1997
High molecular size > 70 kDa	L-lactic acid with butandiol; 4 hydroxybbenzoic acid	HMDI; IPDI	Copolymers	Kylma and Seppala, 1997
High molecular size > 70 kDa	L-lactic acid with butandiol; 4 acetoxybenzoic acid	HMDI; IPDI	Copolymers	Kylma and Seppala, 1997
High molecular size > 70 kDa	L-lactic acid with butandiol; 4	HMDI; IPDI	Copolymers	Kylma and Seppala, 1997
High molecular size > 70 kDa	L-lactic acid	HMDI; IPDI	Copolymers	Kylma and Seppala, 1997

Monomer/monomers