Lactic acid is a naturally occurring organic acid that can be used in a wide variety of industries, such as the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, chemical, food, and, most recently, the medical industries. It can be made by the fermentation of sugars obtained from renewable resources, which means that it is an eco-friendly product that has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy issued a report that listed lactic acid as a potential building block for the future. Bearing the importance of lactic acid in mind, this review summarizes information about lactic acid properties and applications, as well as its production and purification processes.

Lactic acid is commonly used in a wide range of fields such as cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, chemistry and food. During the last years, its use for new applications such as production of biodegradable and biocompatible polymers, green solvents and oxygenated chemicals have received considerable attention. However, the relatively high production cost of lactic acid hinders many large-scale applications. In order to cheapen lactic acid production processes, it is necessary to develop more efficient methods of separation and purification. This work reviews some promising non-traditional distillation processes that are currently employed for lactic acid recovery, focusing on reactive distillation and molecular distillation. Advances in such distillation-based processes, their drawbacks and concluding remarks are also presented.

Actually, there is a growing interest in the biotechnological production of lactic acid by fermentation aiming to substitute fossil fuel routes. The development of an efficient method for its separation and purification from fermentation broth is very important to assure the economic viability of production. Due to its high reactivity and tendency to decompose at high temperatures, the study of lactic acid thermal behavior is essential for its separation processes and potential application. In the present study, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses showed endothermic peaks related to the process of evaporation. Data of thermogravimetry (TG/DTG) were correlated to Arrhenius and Kissinger equations to provide the evaporation kinetic parameters and used to determine the vaporization enthalpy. Activation energies were 51.08 and 48.37 kJ·mol⁻¹ and frequency values were 859.97 and 968.81 s⁻¹ obtained by Arrhenius and Kissinger equations, respectively. Thermogravimetry, coupled with mass spectroscopy (TG-MS), provided useful information about decomposition products when lactic acid was heated at 573 K for approximately 30 min.

The use of lignocellulosic biomass as a raw material for the production of lipids has gained increasing attention, especially in recent years when the use of food in the production of biofuels has become a current technology. Thus, the competition for raw materials for both uses has brought the need to create technological alternatives to reduce this competition that could generate a reduction in the volume of food offered and a consequent commercial increase in the value of food. Furthermore, the use of microbial oils has been studied in many industrial branches, from the generation of renewable energy to the obtainment of several value-added products in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Thus, this review provides an overview of the feasibility and challenges observed in the production of microbial lipids through the use of lignocellulosic biomass in a biorefinery. Topics covered include biorefining technology, the microbial oil market, oily microorganisms, mechanisms involved in lipid-producing microbial metabolism, strain development, processes, lignocellulosic lipids, technical drawbacks, and lipid recovery.

Developing a biomimetic material to wound care is an emerging need for the healing process. Poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is a polymer with the necessary dressing’s requirements often used in medicine. Their surface, physic-chemical and biological properties can be modified by adding bioactive compounds, such as andiroba seed oil (Carapa guianensis). This Amazonian natural plant has medicinal and pharmacological properties. For this purpose, PCL polymeric films incorporated with andiroba oil were investigated. The synthesis of hybrids materials was carried out in the solvent casting method. Thermal properties were evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The solvent type on the surface and hydrophilicity of samples was studied using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Additionally, contact angle measurements, functional groups analysis, fluid absorption capacity, and cell viability were performed. The results demonstrated the influences of andiroba oil under the morphology and thermal properties of the polymeric matrix; the hydrophilicity of the hybrid film obtained by acetic acid was reduced by 13%; the porosity decreased as the concentration of oil increased, but its higher thermal stability. The L929 cell line’s proliferation was observed in all materials, and it presented nontoxic nature. It was demonstrated the ability of PCL hybrid film as a matrix for cell growth. Then, the materials were proved potential candidates for biomedical applications.