Biodegradation of Isotactic Polypropylene (iPP)/Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and iPP/PLA/Nano Calcium Carbonates Using Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Abstract

Phanerochaete chrysosporium species was used to study the degradation of polymeric composites of (a) isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and (PLA) (iPP/PLA), and (b) iPP/PLA filled with calcium carbonate nanoparticles (nCaCO 3 ). PLA was synthesized using L-lactic acid under the controlled ultrasound cavitation technique, dried and used for composite preparation. Meanwhile, the synthesis and subsequent surface modification of nCaCO 3 was done using the ultrasound cavitation technique. Owing to ultrasound cavitation, a reaction mixture is dispersed uniformly but at the same time strong electrostatic force of attraction is developed over the surface of nCaCO 3 particles, which forms the agglomeration of particles. The deagglomeration as well as charge nullification was achieved using surface modification of CaCO 3 nanoparticles with triethoxy vinyl silane (TEVS) under controlled stirring. The sheets of iPP/PLA and iPP/PLA/nCaCO 3 were prepared at normal condition and subjected to a degradation study in minimal medium using P. chrysosporium microorganism up to 28 days. The growth of microorganism and fractures inside the polymer matrix before and after degradation was observed using a scanning electron microscope. Changes in extracellular protein content, biomass production, and percent degradation with respect to time of incubated samples have also been studied. It was found that the iPP/PLA/nCaCO 3 (5 phr) and iPP/PLA (at 30% PLA) composites show an increment in degradation. The presence of nCaCO 3 leads to faster degradation of iPP/PLA/nCaCO 3 nanocomposites, which decreases the mechanical property by 30% of PLA and 5 wt% of nCaCO 3 content. C 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Technol 201 , , 21691; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com.

Bio-Based Sustainable Polymers and Materials: From Processing to Biodegradation

“…In addition, from the turbidity of the solution, it was observed that there was fungi growth (as seen in Figure 18a,b). In the Shimpi et al [135] study, all the compositions exhibited fungal growth between 7 to 28 days. Maximum turbidity was noticed at the 28th day because of the stationary phase and lyses fungal biomass.…”

“…The study concluded that both iPP/PLA composites and iPP/PLA/nCaCO 3 nanocomposites support fungal growth of P. chrysoporium, which leads to degradation and is revealed through the production of biomass, excretion of extracellular protein, and reshaping of the matrix structure with a proportion transformation in degradation. In the Shimpi et al [135] study, all the compositions exhibited fungal growth betw 7 to 28 days. Maximum turbidity was noticed at the 28th day because of the station phase and lyses fungal biomass.…”

“…Figure 19 shows that the P. chrysoporium aided the maximum growth process of biomass production iPP/PLA composites and iPP/PLA/nCaCO3 nanocomposites. The study concluded that both iPP/PLA composites and iPP/PLA/nCaCO3 nanocomposites support fungal growth of P. chrysoporium, which leads In the Shimpi et al [135] study, all the compositions exhibited fungal growth between 7 to 28 days. Maximum turbidity was noticed at the 28th day because of the stationary phase and lyses fungal biomass.…”

“…For industrial production of lactic acid, the lactic fermentation process is utilized instead of synthetic production of PLA due to major limita- For moulded PLA components, the structural integrity reduces with molecular weight reduction and finally the material decomposing. On this note, Shimpi et al [135] investigated the polymer composites of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and PLA (iPP/PLA) and iPP/PLA packed with calcium carbonate nanoparticles (nCaCO 3 ). The biodegradable experiment was an in vitro study with a submerged culture of fungus P. chrysosporium for the microbial degradation of iPP/PLA and iPP/PLA/nCaCO 3 composites.…”

Recent advances in the relationships between biofilms and microplastics in natural environments

“…These microorganisms usually contain enzymes with depolymerizing capacity, thereby being able to actively shorten polymerized chains and degrade polymeric materials. Notable examples include degraders of PE, such as bacterial species from the genera Lysinibacillus and Brevibacillus and the fungus Penicillium simplicissimum ( Yamada-Onodera et al 2001 ; Hadad et al 2005 ; Jeon et al 2021 ), PET, such as the bacterium Thermobifida fusca and species from the genera Acidovorax and Ideonella (Roth et al 2014 ; Yoshida et al 2016 ; Jachimowicz et al 2022 ) and PP, such as bacteria from the genera Lysinibacillus , Serratia and Enterobacter and the fungus Phanerochaete chrysoporium (Shimpi et al 2018 ; Jeon et al 2021 ; Wróbel et al 2023 ), all of which are widely used and prevalent as environmental pollutants (Table 1 ). Regarding bioplastics, despite their limited presence in natural environments, extensive research has identified microorganisms capable of biodegrading them.…”