Microbial and abiotic degradation of fully aliphatic polyurethane foam suitable for biotechnologies

0547836 - ÚMCH 2022 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Trhlíková, Olga - Vlčková, V. - Abbrent, Sabina - Valešová, K. - Kanizsová, Lívia - Skleničková, Kateřina - Paruzel, Aleksandra - Bujok, Sonia - Walterová, Zuzana - Innemanová, P. - Halecký, M. - Beneš, Hynek
Microbial and abiotic degradation of fully aliphatic polyurethane foam suitable for biotechnologies.
Polymer Degradation and Stability. Roč. 194, December (2021), č. článku 109764. ISSN 0141-3910. E-ISSN 1873-2321
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA19-08549S
Institutional support: RVO:61389013
Keywords : biodegradation * hydrolysis * mass spectrometry
OECD category: Polymer science
Impact factor: 5.204, year: 2021
Method of publishing: Limited access
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141391021002834

Polyurethane (PUR) foams are due to their versatility highly demanded not only in traditional applications but also in biotechnological and environmentally-oriented processes in which they can reach the open environment. Therefore, new PUR foams with degradation-on-demand features are highly desirable and their (bio)degradation behavior has to be understood. Herein, we have studied abiotic and microbial degradation of fully aliphatic PUR foam, developed as a biomass carrier for biofiltration. The progress of abiotic hydrolysis shows complete degradation of soft polyol segments and partial cleavage of hard isocyanate-derived segments. Microbial in-vitro degradations showed much higher activity of fungus Fusarium solani than bacterium Pseudomonas sp. Biodegradation of the PUR foam in soil reveals that 77% of the soft segments are mineralized after 6 months reaching the final mineralization of 43%. The results demonstrate that a non-hazardous and sustainable PUR foam can be successfully prepared for applications requiring material bioactivity (biorecycling, etc.).
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0324531