Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) stands out as the most promising biodegradable alternative to conventional petrochemical‐based polymers for manufacturing of high‐performance materials applied in medicine, pharmacy, food, textile, and electronic industry. This review was aimed to present the conventional and up‐to‐date technologies for PLA processing including melt blending and molding, hot melt extrusion, 3D printing, foaming, impregnation, thermally induced phase separation, nano‐ and microparticles preparation, wet and dry spinning processes. In addition, the effect of the processing parameters and polymer characteristics on the properties of the final material was elaborated. Diverse possibilities to tailor properties of PLA‐based materials by variation in polymer characteristics and concentration, solvent selection, drying method, processing pressure and temperature, incorporation of bioactive components, and so on were highlighted. The examples of the relations between processing methods, parameters, and end‐product properties are given for a better understanding of all aspects that need to be perceived for fabrication of PLA‐based materials with required performances.

In the present study, supercritical solvent impregnation (SSI) has been applied to incorporate thymol into bio-composite polymers as a potential active packaging material. Thymol, a natural component with a proven antimicrobial activity, was successfully impregnated into starch-chitosan (SC) and starch-chitosan-zeolite (SCZ) films using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) as a solvent. Experiments were performed at 35 °C, pressures of 15.5 and 30 MPa, and an impregnation time in the range of 4–24 h. The highest impregnation yields of SC films with starch to chitosan mass ratios of 1:1 and 1:2 were 10.80% and 6.48%, respectively. The addition of natural zeolite (15–60%) significantly increased the loading capacity of films enabling thymol incorporation in a quantity of 16.7–27.3%. FTIR and SEM analyses were applied for the characterization of the films. Mechanical properties and water vapor permeability of films before and after the impregnation were tested as well. Thymol release kinetics in deionized water was followed and modeled by the Korsmeyer-Peppas and Weibull model. SCZ films with thymol loading of approximately 24% exhibited strong antibacterial activity against E. coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (S.) aureus (MRSA).

The integrated supercritical fluid extraction–impregnation process (SFE-SSI) was performed to fabricate material with antiviral properties against the herpes simplex virus (HSV). Cotton gauze and starch/chitosan polymer films (SCF) were impregnated with components extracted from Melissa officinalis at 10 MPa and 40 °C using a green medium, supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂). The influences of the processing mode regarding the flow of the supercritical fluid through the system, and the mass ratio of the plant material and the solid carrier, on the impregnation yield of M. officinalis extract were studied. The results revealed that the introduction of a fresh amount of CO₂ into the system enabled the highest impregnation yield of 2.24% for cotton gauze and 8.71% for SCF. The presence of M. officinalis extract on the surface of both impregnated cotton gaze and SCF was confirmed by FTIR and GC analyses after the re-extraction of the impregnated samples. The M. officinalis impregnated materials showed a strong inhibitory effect against Bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1).

Growing antibacterial resistance, along with reduced efficacy of conventional antibiotics against bacteria in acidic gastric environments, such as Helicobacter pylori, has driven interest in plant-derived bioactive compounds. Cannabidiol (CBD) has attracted attention for its antibacterial activity. However, its poor aqueous solubility and challenges associated with achieving gradual release under gastric conditions limit its therapeutic applicability. In this study, supercritical CO₂ (scCO₂) was investigated as a green processing route for the fabrication of cellulose-based aerogels and their impregnation with CBD, to develop a biodegradable carrier for the gradual release of CBD. Cellulose aerogels were produced via scCO₂-assisted drying, yielding material with a specific surface area of 343 m² g⁻¹. Static scCO₂ impregnation (SCI) (300 bar, 40 °C) was used to impregnate the dried aerogels with pure CBD and a CBD/hemp-seed mixture, where hemp seeds served as a lipid source intended to improve CBD solubility in scCO₂. However, after 4 h of SCI, the CBD loadings obtained with the CBD/hemp-seed mixture were approximately 30% lower (73.4±10.2 mg g⁻¹) than the loadings achieved with pure CBD, likely due to partial occupation of the aerogel pores by hemp seeds’ fatty acids. Release studies in simulated gastric fluid (pH 4) demonstrated that CEL aerogels impregnated with pure CBD exhibited initial burst release, achieving ~80% release within 4 hours. CBD-impregnated aerogels exhibited dose-dependent antibacterial activity against Helicobacter pylori, achieving up to 52.5% bacterial reduction after 4 h under acidic conditions (PBS, pH 4), highlighting the potential of scCO₂-processed cellulose aerogels as sustainable carriers for bioactive compounds.