Polylactic acid in the fabrication of separation membranes: A review

[Display omitted] •Fabrication methods of porous and non-porous PLA membranes were reviewed.•PLA-based membrane is high flux pervaporation membranes by good thermal resistance.•Plasticizers have been used to correct flexibility of PLA membranes for gas separation.•Thermal stability and impact resistance of PLA membranes should be improved by additives.•Production cost of PLA should be reduced for industrial development of PLA membranes. The use of membranes for separation and purification applications is growing significantly. Most membrane fabrication materials are harmful to the environment. For this purpose, scientists today are focusing on substituting these materials with ones that are low toxic or less harmful. One of these materials is polylactic acid (PLA), which is a bio-source and biodegradable polymer. PLA has acceptable thermal resistance as well as mechanical strength and is renewable. PLA polymer has good flexibility to make membranes by common methods such as phase inversion and electrospinning techniques. In the present perspective, first, the physicochemical properties and synthesis methods of PLA were presented. Then, the application of this polymer for fabricating electrospun, water treatment, adsorption, hemodialysis and gas separation membranes were examined with its specific advantages and challenges. This review shows that a great future has been embodied for the PLA membranes.