Multifunctional and fully aliphatic biodegradable polyurethane foam as porous biomass carrier for biofiltration

Open-Cell Aliphatic Polyurethane Foams with High Content of Polysaccharides: Structure, Degradation, and Ecotoxicity

“…isolated from the inoculum of a combined bioreactor treating waste air polluted by styrene and acetone . The mentioned microorganisms as widespread representatives of prokaryotes and eukaryotes are standardly used for testing newly developed PUR foams in our labs …”

“…Polyurethane (PUR) foams are widely used in a range of applications, e.g., in automotive, furniture, and building industries, due to their high versatility, which enables tailoring of chemical composition, morphology, and properties of the final products. Recent advances in biotechnologies and environmentally friendly processes have promoted a novel use of PUR foams as biofilters , and pollutant sorbents. ,− In these applications, the PUR foam serves primarily as an efficient substrate for microorganism immobilization due to its advantageous properties such as low density, high specific surface area, porosity/high content of open cells, and tunable surfaces and mechanical properties. On the other hand, traditional aromatic PUR foams have not been intended for these new environmentally oriented applications.…”

“…At the same time, the rate of (bio)­degradation is highly dependent on the presence of specific microbial degraders but also on abiotic factors including oxygen, sunlight, heat, and moisture. , PUR biodegradation comprises two different enzymatic mechanisms, namely, hydrolysis and oxidation . Hydrolytic enzymes, e.g., esterases, proteases, ureases, and amidases, ,, are much more often referred to as the dominant destroying biological agents of PUR materials than oxidation enzymes, e.g., laccases and peroxidases. , While hydrolytic enzymes can theoretically catalyze all hydrolyzable linkages (ester, urethane, urea, etc.) in PUR foams, they have been shown to be particularly effective on ester bonds .…”

“…Our former study has demonstrated that fully aliphatic PUR foams based on flexible polyester-ether chains are easily metabolized and used as carbon and nitrogen sources by various microorganisms . To further support microorganism nutrition demands, biodegradable natural fillers (typically polysaccharides) can be incorporated into the PUR foam. , The addition of polysaccharides (very often starch and its derivatives) has been shown to increase the rate of PUR biodegradation and susceptibility to microbial growth. − On the other hand, incorporation of a readily biodegradable polysaccharide component into the PUR foam can lead to deterioration of its physical and mechanical properties and thus to a shortening of the durability of the PUR carrier.…”

Efficient and Fast Removal of Oils from Water Surfaces via Highly Oleophilic Polyurethane Composites

“…The obtained prepolymers were easily extended without ulterior catalyst addition with short alcohols, such as 1,2-ethylene glycol, to obtain the final polyurethane foams. The replacement of aromatic isocyanates with aliphatic ones, together with the non-toxic catalyst, make these materials more environmentally friendly [ 41 , 42 ]. Polyurethane foams, with their wide porous structures, are optimal materials to incorporate into other substances; for example, to produce composites with enhanced properties [ 43 , 44 ].…”