Bacterial isolates degrading aliphatic polycarbonates

Suyama, Tetsushi; Hosoya, Hiroyuki; Tokiwa, Yutaka

doi:10.1111/j.1574-6968.1998.tb12956.x

Cited by 62 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Roseateles depolymerans 61A formed di(6-hydroxyhexyl) carbonate and adipic acid from PHC, and di(4-hydroxybutyl)-carbonate and succinic acid from poly(butylene carbonate) (PBC, Mn 2,000) [77]. Pranamuda et al .…”

Section: Polycarbonatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodegradability of Plastics

Tokiwa¹,

Calabia

Ugwu³

et al. 2009

IJMS

Self Cite

1,354

758

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Plastic is a broad name given to different polymers with high molecular weight, which can be degraded by various processes. However, considering their abundance in the environment and their specificity in attacking plastics, biodegradation of plastics by microorganisms and enzymes seems to be the most effective process. When plastics are used as substrates for microorganisms, evaluation of their biodegradability should not only be based on their chemical structure, but also on their physical properties (melting point, glass transition temperature, crystallinity, storage modulus etc.). In this review, microbial and enzymatic biodegradation of plastics and some factors that affect their biodegradability are discussed.

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Section: Polycarbonatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodegradability of Plastics

Tokiwa¹,

Calabia

Ugwu³

et al. 2009

IJMS

Self Cite

1,354

758

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“…In contrast to aromatic PCs, the aliphatic PCs are rarely used as thermoplastics. Aliphatic PCs such as poly(ethylene carbonate) (PEC), poly(1,3‐trimethylene carbonate) (PTC), poly(butylene carbonate) (PBC), and poly(hexamethylene carbonate) (PHC), which have no side group substituents, are typically synthesized from their corresponding cyclic monomers by ring‐opening polymerization 7–9. Poly(ethylene carbonate) is often prepared from the copolymerization of ethylene oxide and carbon dioxide.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodegradation of Aliphatic and Aromatic Polycarbonates

Artham¹,

Doble²

2007

Macromolecular Bioscience

309

155

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Polycarbonate is one of the most widely used engineering plastics because of its superior physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. Understanding the biodegradation of this polymer is of great importance to answer the increasing problems in waste management of this polymer. Aliphatic polycarbonates are known to biodegrade either through the action of pure enzymes or by bacterial whole cells. Very little information is available that deals with the biodegradation of aromatic polycarbonates. Biodegradation is governed by different factors that include polymer characteristics, type of organism, and nature of pretreatment. The polymer characteristics such as its mobility, tacticity, crystallinity, molecular weight, the type of functional groups and substituents present in its structure, and plasticizers or additives added to the polymer all play an important role in its degradation. The carbonate bond in aliphatic polycarbonates is facile and hence this polymer is easily biodegradable. On the other hand, bisphenol A polycarbonate contains benzene rings and quaternary carbon atoms which form bulky and stiff chains that enhance rigidity. Even though this polycarbonate is amorphous in nature because of considerable free volume, it is non-biodegradable since the carbonate bond is inaccessible to enzymes because of the presence of bulky phenyl groups on either side. In order to facilitate the biodegradation of polymers few pretreatment techniques which include photo-oxidation, gamma-irradiation, or use of chemicals have been tested. Addition of biosurfactants to improve the interaction between the polymer and the microorganisms, and blending with natural or synthetic polymers that degrade easily, can also enhance the biodegradation.

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“…The biodegradation of aliphatic polycarbonates, such as poly(ethylene carbonate) and poly(tetramethylene carbonate), has been studied with reference to medical applications. [1] - [4] The homopolymer of trimethylene carbonate (1,3-dioxan-2-one: TMC) has been found to be compatible and degradable into nontoxic compounds in the body at an extremely slow rate. [5] Copolymers of trimethylene carbonate with other monomers have been used in the field of biomedical applications, such as sutures with improved flexibility [6] and drug delivery systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%