Effect of the growth of Phanerochaete Chrysosporium in a blend of low density polyethylene and sugar cane bagasse

Abstract

Thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, and wide-angle Xray scattering techniques were used to study changes in the composition, relative heat of fusion, and mean crystal size of blends made from low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and sugar cane bagasse (SCB), before and after exposure to the fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium for 32 days. The initial blends contained equal weights of each component. The composition of the blend LDPE/SCB at 32 days changed to the value (66 { 3)/(34 { 3). The relative heat of fusion of LDPE increased during the first 16 days, but then it showed a tendency to decrease and remain constant. The estimated mean crystal size of polyethylene decreased but then remained almost constant. These changes indicate that the microorganisms mainly digest SCB in the first stage of the experiment, but later they also digest LDPE. The crystalline morphology of the LDPE is modified; the crystalline domains are divided into smaller crystallites.

Effect of Biodiesel on Biofilm Biodeterioration of Linear Low Density Polyethylene in a Simulated Fuel Storage Tank

“…Other studies have found that the crystallinity of polymer films changes with time due to the action of microorganisms [16,18,45], a mech anisms in which an initial increase in crystallinity due to the con sumption of amorphous regions followed by a decrease in crystallinity once microorganisms start to consume small size crystals have been described [18]. However, in this study the effect of biotic treatment was not observed and changes in the crystallinity cannot be attributed to microbial action.…”

Biodegradation of Linear Low Density Polyethylene by Serratia marcescens subsp. marcescens and its Cell Free Extracts

“…Further work is clearly needed to ascertain why some regions in the LLDPE are more susceptible to void formation than others. These might be due to microbial activity on the amorphous portions of LLDPE [45][46][47][48][49]. Further work is clearly needed to verify such speculation.…”

“…Prior research has shown that, there is an initial increase in the crystallinity of PE after microbial degradation [45][46][47][48][49][50]. Furthermore, microbes generally degrade the amorphous portions of the PE first [45-47, 49, 50], before disrupting the crystalline order [48,51].…”

“…Furthermore, microbes generally degrade the amorphous portions of the PE first [45-47, 49, 50], before disrupting the crystalline order [48,51]. There is, therefore, an overall decrease in the percentage of crystallinity after biodegradation of LLDPE.…”

Biodegradation of polyethylene via complete solubilization by the action of Pseudomonas fluorescens, biosurfactant produced by Bacillus licheniformis and anionic surfactant

“…These crystalline particles are made of crystalline blocks, which are bordered with the second type of amorphous region. 3,39 During oxidation and bacterial treatment, the amorphous region is oxidized and due to this oxidation, smaller crystalline particles are released. 3 In the course of further treatment of polyethylene, smaller crystalline particles are oxidized and further utilized by bacterium, leading to an increase in the amount of larger crystallites.…”