The present study investigates the biodegradation of synthesized condensation nonisocyanate polyurethanes (NIPUs). It was prepared by reacting phenol sulphonic acid and oligooxypropylene diol and formaldehyde and contained different amounts of hard segments (HSs). Polyurethane samples were submitted to biodegradation with microorganisms R-14 and in garden soil. The tensile strength (TS), relative elongation at break and weight loss of the prepared samples were evaluated and their structure and morphology analysed. It was found that maximum decrease of the TS of all tested NIPU samples occurred only after 7 days of biodegradation. Maximum TS decrease attained was approximately 70% and 75%, respectively, for NIPU based on 0.8-mol and 1-mol HS. Moreover, significant decrease of relative elongation at break and weight loss values after biodegradation in culture R-14 for NIPU samples based on 0.9-mol HS and 1-mol HS was observed. Fourier transform infrared and scanning electron microscopic results confirmed that biodegradation occurred in urea or urethane groups. The glass transition of HSs decreased by at least 20°C due to biodegradation, suggesting that this later took place almost only in the crystalline region of NIPU samples.
The ability of some bacteria and filamentous fungi to degrade aniline and its derivatives was reported earlier in the literature. However, there was no information about the biodegradation of aniline by yeast strains. The present work is focused on yeast strain Candida methanosorbosa BP-6 which was isolated from the wastewater pool of the old dye factory "Boruta" in Zgierz by enrichment technique and identified by standard microbiological methods. We have found that strain C. methanosorbosa BP-6 readily grows in the presence of aniline and can degrade this substrate. Relatively good separation of peaks corresponding to aniline and its biodegradation intermediates allowed us their identification and quantification by HPLC methodology. We have found that major intermediates of this degradation are: catechol, cis,cis-muconic acid, muconolactone, 3-oxoadipate enol-lactone, 3-oxoadipic acid and succinic acid. Our results provide strong evidence that biodegradation of aniline by the yeast strain C. methanosorbosa BP-6 proceeds according to the intradiolic pathway.
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