| abstract |
The present invention relates to a method of industrial-scale purification of lactic acid, the method comprising the steps of: (a) reduced-pressure distillation of a concentrated lactic acid solution having a total acid content of at least 95 wt % and a content of monomeric lactic acid of at least 80 wt %, based on the concentrated lactic acid solution, the ratio between the lactic acid enantiomers in the concentrated lactic acid solution not being equal to 1, and (b) subjecting the concentrated lactic acid solution to crystallization to form a pure lactic acid. The invention also relates to the lactic acid or the lactic acid solution obtained via this method and the use thereof. |