Poly(lactic acid) is synthesized using a polycondensation reaction starting from lactic acid. The major limitation of this polycondensation reaction is that it results in polymers of low molecular weight. Water generated during the polymerization has to be removed during the polymerization process, and rapidly equilibrium occurs between polymerization and the depolymerization reaction. In addition, this polymerization requires long reaction times in combination with high temperatures. To overcome the limitation, lactic acid is initially oligomerized and catalytically dimerized to produce the cyclic lactide monomer. The high molecular weight polylactide is made from lactide monomer by ring opening polymerization (ROP). Aluminum[19,20] and tin alkoxides[21] are commonly used catalysts for the polymerization of lactides. A major difference between the tin and the aluminum-based catalysts is that tin catalysts are good trans-esterification catalysts, whereas aluminum catalysts are not. Tin catalysts have the advantage of being more hydrolytically stable than those of aluminum and can be easier to handle and use in polymerizations. Tin 2-ethylhexanoate (stannous octoate, or Sn(Oct)2) and lauryl alcohol (1-dodecanol) have been used frequently as initiator and co-initiator, respectively, for the synthesis of PLA homopolymers[22] in relatively short time periods with high conversion and low racemization. This catalyst has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for food contact,[23] making it ideal for many food packaging applications including fruit juices and mineral water. The process does not produce any water and, therefore, a wide range of molecular weight can be achieved by the process. The schematic polymerization reaction and process of lactic acid are illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, respectively.