Biodegradation of pyridine‐based polyether polyurethanes by the Alternaria tenuissima fungus

Abstract

The scope of the present work is to study the biodegradability behavior of several novel heterocyclic poly(ether urethanes) when their hard segments are subjected to exposure to the Alternaria tenuissima fungus. The heterocyclic poly(ether urethanes) were chain-extended with various pyridine derivatives that had different functional groups placed in different positions on the pyridine rings. Different ratios of the reactive components were also used. The measurements obtained by the use of the attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the different structural changes that occurred after exposure to fungi. The degradation process was analyzed through measurement of the mechanical properties and surface morphology evolution by scanning electron microscopy. The obtained results show that the nature and design of the functional groups on the pyridine ring determine the strength of the cohesion linkages that in turn influence different degradation behaviors under exposure to fungi. V C 2017Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46096.

Biodiversity and biocatalyst activity of culturable hydrocarbonoclastic fungi isolated from Marac–Moruga mud volcano in South Trinidad

“…Neoscytalidium hyalinum/dimidiatum and Alternaria porri / destruens are completely novel. Alternaria tenuissima has been isolated from oil contaminated water but was strongly inhibited by crude oil presence 79 and has also been reported to degrade polyurethanes, an important compound in plastic degradation and recycling 80 , 81 . Alternaria destruens is a beneficial soil microbe that can promote the growth of plants 82 ; this fungus then, can be further investigated for its benefits of vegetative growth in heavily contaminated soil as in Marac.…”

Microbial Degradation and Valorization of Plastic Wastes

“…Stepien et al found that three bacteria and one yeast ( Table 6) could degrade commercial polyether PUR films (Tecoflex R ) and cause a weight loss of 2.8-10.5% within 5 months (Stepien et al, 2017). Oprea et al assessed the biodegradability of pyridine-based polyether PUR elastomers by a fungus Alternaria tenuissima, and found that the fungus could decrease the mechanical properties and deteriorate the surface morphology after 60 days (Oprea et al, 2018).…”

Isolation and characterization of different promising fungi for biological waste management of polyurethanes

“…Alternaria species have already been described for PU degradation. For example, a strain of A. tenuissima was reported as active on pyridine-based polyether PU (Oprea et al, 2018). Alternaria solani, isolated from soil, showed degradation activity towards a polyester PU (Ibrahim, 2009).…”