BACKGROUND Ionic liquids are regarded as potential substitutes for volatile organic solvents. Thus, gaining knowledge about their biological properties is an important task. The main aim of this work was to estimate the biodegradability of newly synthesized tetra‐ and completely substituted imidazolium ionic liquids. Additionally, the kinetic parameters for the biological treatment of wastewater containing one of these ionic liquids were determined. RESULTS The results of OECD tests showed that none of the ionic liquids studied can be classified as readily or inherently biodegradable. The tetra‐substituted ionic liquid with the longest alkyl side chain consisting of six carbon atoms was more susceptible to biodegradation than the other ionic liquids tested. The values of Monod kinetic parameters estimated for the biological treatment of wastewater containing one of these ionic liquids were usually in the range of the values determined for municipal wastewater. CONCLUSION Newly synthesized tetra‐ and completely substituted imidazolium ionic liquids are not susceptible to microbial decomposition. At the same time their presence in wastewater neither reduces the growth rate of activated sludge biomass nor decreases the affinity of substrate to biomass. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry

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The subject of this paper is improvement in the growth and yield of three different types of legumes and rape in drought conditions by coating seeds with hydrolysed collagen from tanning waste. In addition, the impact of various additives in the seed shell on the growth of the plant was investigated. The encapsulation process of seeds was conducted on a disc granulator. A centrally placed seed was first coated with a layer of fungicides. The next layer was collagen hydrolysate, collagen hydrolysate with latex or a solution of yellow dextrin and polyvinyl alcohol. The outer layer was a mineral additive e.g. dolomite or kaolin. After the end of the encapsulation process on the disk granulator, all of the seeds tested were sown into soils. Seeds without coating were also sown as control seeds. Seedlings were maintained for 29 days with cultivation without irrigation. The length of the seedlings was analysed for all of the seeds sown. Higher seedling growth values were obtained for seeds coated with collagen hydrolysate in comparison with control seeds (without coating). The use of collagen hydrolysate gave slightly better results than in the case of a solution of dextrin with polyvinyl alcohol.

The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial properties of multilayer films containing a PHMG sulphanilate (polyhexamethylene guanidine sulphanilate). Three types of films were selected: monolayer and three-layer films (both containing biocide) and market foil. The antibacterial activity of polyethylene film with PHMG sulphanilate was verified based on the guidelines of ISO 22196: 2007 (E): Plastics – Measurement of antibacterial activity on plastic surfaces. The antimicrobial efficacy of the monolayer film against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was very good, equalling 6.25 log (100%) and 6.02 log (100%), respectively. It means that a total reduction in bacteria on the surface tested was achieved. The antimicrobial efficacy of the three-layer film against Escherichia coli was satisfactory and equaled 1.32 log (95.2%). The antimicrobial efficacy of this film against Staphylococcus aureus was very good and equaled 6.02 log (100%). The antifungal activity of polyethylene film with PHMG sulphanilate was verified based on the guidelines of ASTM G21 – 96: Standard practice for determining the resistance of synthetic polymeric materials to fungi. The fungal growth of Aspergillus niger, Chaetomium globosum and Trichoderma viride on the monolayer and three layer films was also inhibited, which means that the biocide in the films also exhibits antifungal activities. For the market foil, poor antibacterial efficacy against the bacteria and no antifungal activity against the fungi tested was observed.