Biodeterioration of coated nylon fabric

Abstract

Biodegradation characteristics of nylon fabric coated with fluorocarbon polymer (oil and water repellent) and thiourea-formaldehyde (fire retardant) were studied. The fabric was exposed to soil burial, air exposure, and standard culture media for various intervals of time and evaluated for changes in physicomechanical properties, oil and water repellency, air permeability, as well as flame-retardant properties. Significant falls in these properties were observed, the extent of which was found to be maximum in the case of soil burial followed by air medium and standard culture. Themogravimetric analysis showed enhanced heat stability of the unexposed fabric compared with base nylon. Exposure of the coated fabric to various biomedia caused extensive damage of the fire retardant material and also resulted in a significant reduction in the flame-resistant properties. Fluorocarbon material, on the other hand, did not degrade on bioexposure and its presence improved the thermal stability of the coated fabric. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed remarkable changes, e.g., peak shifts, intensity variations, as well as elimination of peaks in the case of soil burial compared with the unexposed sample. Scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the changes in the surface topography associated with the degradation of the coated fabric vis-à -vis those of the controlled one.

Resource or waste? A perspective of plastics degradation in soil with a focus on end-of-life options

“…In general, periods of incubation of these experiments span from one week to two years at temperatures normally higher than room temperature. The majority of experiments were run under aerobic conditions (da Luz et al., 2013; Khan et al., 2017; Setua et al., 2000; Shah et al., 2016; Tomita et al., 2003; Urayama et al., 2002). If, otherwise under anaerobic conditions, the oxygen source was derived from the organic material itself, the degradation was, generally, more effective, arriving at final products such as alcohols, aldehydes, organic acids or, even, carbon dioxide or methane.…”

“…However, within two months nylon 4 (polyamide 4) is degraded by bacterium Stenotrophomonas (KT-1 strain) and fungus Fusarium (KT-2 strain) (Tachibana et al., 2010). Nylon fibres containing fluorocarbon and fire-retardant additives are prone to biodegradation as well; their burial within soil has been found to be damaging when followed by aerial exposure (Setua et al., 2000). Considering the resistance to degradation of the material within the soil environment, the inclusion of nylon fibres within uncemented and cement-stabilized soil caused an increase in the unconfined compressive strength and axial strain at failure.…”

Microorganisms Attack Synthetic Polymers in Items Representing Our Cultural Heritage

“…Spectroscopic techniques are an alternative for monitoring biofilm formation at the molecular level. A technique such as infrared spectroscopy offers the opportunity to monitor real-time chemical changes (55). Importantly, biodeteriorated synthetic resins used in conservation have recently been distinguished from the same nonbiodeteriorated polymers by the presence of a peptidic bond in the infrared spectrum (8,9,14).…”