Preparation and Characterization of Immediate-Release Tablets Containing Calcium Lactate Recovered from Chemically Recycled Poly(lactic acid) 3D Printing Filaments
4 affiliations
- 1Chemistry Department, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT 06117, USA
- 2Geoscience Department, Union College, Schenectady, NY 12308, USA
- 3Biology Department, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT 06117, USA
- 4Chemistry Department, Union College, Schenectady, NY 12308, USA
Abstract
Polylactic acid (PLA) is one type of biodegradable plastic that can replace single-use plastic. Nevertheless, it still poses the problem of accumulation in the environment due to the slow biodegradation rate. Developing simple yet effective methods for PLA recycling and upcycling can pave the way for a circular economy and help partially solve the plastic pollution problem. In the present work, PLA filaments of different colors were chemically recycled in alkaline solutions of C1-C3 primary alcohols under mild experimental conditions (75 °C for 30 min, 1 atm). The effect of various process parameters such as depolymerization solvent media and PLA pigmentation on the percentage of PLA depolymerization and Ca lactate monomer yield was studied. PLA filament size was also investigated as a factor affecting the kinetics of PLA depolymerization. As a monomer, Ca lactate was evaluated by different characterization techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. In addition, the powder quality was tested against US Pharmacopeia standards for acidity, heavy metal presence, hydration state, and calcium content. The recycled Ca lactate was formulated with other ingredients into Ca lactate tablets via direct compression to serve as a calcium source for preventing and treating calcium deficiencies. The tablet characteristics were compared against commercially available Ca supplements with respect to shape consistency, uniformity of calcium loading, immediate release, and cytotoxicity. The obtained findings suggest that there exists a viable, environmentally friendly avenue for utilizing PLA recycling products in the development of compounds with potential applications in the pharmaceutical domain.
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BibTeX
@article{attallah2026preparation,
title = {{Preparation and Characterization of Immediate-Release Tablets Containing Calcium Lactate Recovered from Chemically Recycled Poly(lactic acid) 3D Printing Filaments}},
author = {Olivia A. Attallah and Dario Brandao and Jacqueline Tran and Irvin Rivera and Cindy A. Thomas-Charles and Michael R. O’Krepky and Mathew Mannon},
journal = {Polymers},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/polym18192422},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13666945},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Preparation and Characterization of Immediate-Release Tablets Containing Calcium Lactate Recovered from Chemically Recycled Poly(lactic acid) 3D Printing Filaments
AU - Olivia A. Attallah
AU - Dario Brandao
AU - Jacqueline Tran
AU - Irvin Rivera
AU - Cindy A. Thomas-Charles
AU - Michael R. O’Krepky
AU - Mathew Mannon
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Polymers
DO - 10.3390/polym18192422
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13666945
AB - Polylactic acid (PLA) is one type of biodegradable plastic that can replace single-use plastic. Nevertheless, it still poses the problem of accumulation in the environment due to the slow biodegradation rate. Developing simple yet effective methods for PLA recycling and upcycling can pave the way for a circular economy and help partially solve the plastic pollution problem. In the present work, PLA filaments of different colors were chemically recycled in alkaline solutions of C1-C3 primary alcohols under mild experimental conditions (75 °C for 30 min, 1 atm). The effect of various process parameters such as depolymerization solvent media and PLA pigmentation on the percentage of PLA depolymerization and Ca lactate monomer yield was studied. PLA filament size was also investigated as a factor affecting the kinetics of PLA depolymerization. As a monomer, Ca lactate was evaluated by different characterization techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. In addition, the powder quality was tested against US Pharmacopeia standards for acidity, heavy metal presence, hydration state, and calcium content. The recycled Ca lactate was formulated with other ingredients into Ca lactate tablets via direct compression to serve as a calcium source for preventing and treating calcium deficiencies. The tablet characteristics were compared against commercially available Ca supplements with respect to shape consistency, uniformity of calcium loading, immediate release, and cytotoxicity. The obtained findings suggest that there exists a viable, environmentally friendly avenue for utilizing PLA recycling products in the development of compounds with potential applications in the pharmaceutical domain.
SN - 2073-4360
ER -