The optimal physical factors affecting enzyme production in an airlift fermenter have not been studied so far. Therefore, the physical parameters such as aeration rate, pH, and temperature affecting PLA-degrading enzyme production by Actinomadura keratinilytica strain T16-1 in a 3 l airlift fermenter were investigated. The response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize PLA-degrading enzyme production by implementing the central composite design. The optimal conditions for higher production of PLA-degrading enzyme were aeration rate of 0.43 vvm, pH of 6.85, and temperature at 46° C. Under these conditions, the model predicted a PLA-degrading activity of 254 U/ml. Verification of the optimization showed that PLA-degrading enzyme production of 257 U/ml was observed after 3 days cultivation under the optimal conditions in a 3 l airlift fermenter. The production under the optimized condition in the airlift fermenter was higher than un-optimized condition by 1.7 folds and 12 folds with un-optimized medium or condition in shake flasks. This is the first report on the optimization of environmental conditions for improvement of PLA-degrading enzyme production in a 3 l airlift fermenter by using a statistical analysis method. Moreover, the crude PLA-degrading enzyme could be adsorbed to the substrate and degraded PLA powder to produce lactic acid as degradation products. Therefore, this incident indicates that PLA-degrading enzyme produced by Actinomadura keratinilytica NBRC 104111 strain T16-1 has a potential to degrade PLA to lactic acid as a monomer and can be used for the recycle of PLA polymer.