Biodegradation of Natural Rubber: Microcosm Study

Bosco, Francesca; Mollea, Chiara

doi:10.1007/s11270-021-05171-7

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Because of its intrinsic amorphous nature, NR readily accommodates microorganisms within its structure. NR film is a bio-based and biodegradable product, which could be broken down by numerous bacteria and fungi [ 63 ]. Following over 90 days of burial, the neat NR film exhibited a progressive increase in biodegradation, reaching a value of 38.8%.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Electrically Conductive Natural Rubber Composite Films Reinforced with Graphite Platelets

Kitsawat,

Siri,

Phisalaphong

2024

Polymers

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Green natural rubber (NR) composites reinforced with synthetic graphite platelets, using alginate as a thickening and dispersing agent, were successfully developed to improve mechanical properties, chemical resistance, and electrical conductivity. The fabrication was performed using a latex aqueous microdispersion process. The research demonstrated the effective incorporation of graphite platelets into the NR matrix up to 60 parts per hundred rubbers (phr) without causing agglomeration or phase separation. Graphite incorporation significantly improved the mechanical strength of the composite films. NR with 60 phr of graphite exhibited the highest Young’s modulus of 12.3 MPa, roughly 100 times that of the neat NR film. The reinforcement also strongly improved the hydrophilicity of the composite films, resulting in a higher initial water absorption rate compared to the neat NR film. Moreover, the incorporation of graphite significantly improved the chemical resistance of the composite films against nonpolar solvents, such as toluene. The composite films exhibited biodegradability at about 21% to 30% after 90 days in soil. The electrical conductivity of the composite films was considerably enhanced up to 2.18 × 10−4 S/cm at a graphite loading of 60 phr. According to the improved properties, the developed composites have potential applications in electronic substrates.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…by numerous bacteria and fungi [63]. Following over 90 days of burial, the neat NR film exhibited a progressive increase in biodegradation, reaching a value of 38.8%.…”

Section: Biodegradation In Soilmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrically Conductive Natural Rubber Composite Films Reinforced with Graphite Platelets

Kitsawat,

Siri,

Phisalaphong

2024

Polymers

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“…Therefore, it is generally assumed that nature provides degradation pathways to ensure the closure of the biogeochemical cycle of carbon. Nevertheless, there are various abundant natural materials, including lignin and rubber, which are quite resistant to biodegradation in most natural environments because of their function in nature, which requires high chemical stability and scarce reactivity of the bonds connecting their monomers [ 38 ]. As a consequence, they undergo biodegradation only under certain conditions and when attacked by specific enzymes, such as laccases in the case of lignin [ 39 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Marine Biodegradation of Bio-Based Oligoesters and Plasticizers

et al. 2023

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The study reports the enzymatic synthesis of bio-based oligoesters and chemo-enzymatic processes for obtaining epoxidized bioplasticizers and biolubricants starting from cardoon seed oil. All of the molecules had MW below 1000 g mol−1 and were analyzed in terms of marine biodegradation. The data shed light on the effects of the chemical structure, chemical bond lability, thermal behavior, and water solubility on biodegradation. Moreover, the analysis of the biodegradation of the building blocks that constituted the different bio-based products allowed us to distinguish between different chemical and physicochemical factors. These hints are of major importance for the rational eco-design of new benign bio-based products. Overall, the high lability of ester bonds was confirmed, along with the negligible effect of the presence of epoxy rings on triglyceride structures. The biodegradation data clearly indicated that the monomers/building blocks undergo a much slower process of abiotic or biotic transformations, potentially leading to accumulation. Therefore, the simple analysis of the erosion, hydrolysis, or visual/chemical disappearance of the chemical products or plastic is not sufficient, but ecotoxicity studies on the effects of such small molecules are of major importance. The use of natural feedstocks, such as vegetable seed oils and their derivatives, allows the minimization of these risks, because microorganisms have evolved enzymes and metabolic pathways for processing such natural molecules.

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“…It was previously demonstrated that natural rubber could undergo biodegradation in soil thanks to the presence of bacteria and fungi, which utilize it as a carbon and energy source. [ 87,88 ] To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the degradation of natural rubber has been tested in seawater. The lower degradation of the paper compared to the rubber could be due to the higher crystallinity of cellulose fibers compared to the natural rubber.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self‐Healing, Recyclable, Biodegradable, Electrically Conductive Vitrimer Coating for Soft Robotics

Spallanzani,

Najafi,

Zahid

et al. 2023

Advanced Sustainable Systems

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Sensors and transducers enable the robots’ movements and interactions with humans and the environment. Particularly, tactile and motion sensors, even those inspired by the human skin, often miss many of its essential features. Indeed, the materials that constitute such sensors are often rigid and lack self‐healing and biodegradability. Furthermore, the large‐scale diffusion of these technologies propelled by robots spread in many aspects of the lives, from industrial to household settings, contributes heavily to the electronic and robotic waste problem. Recycling strategies for materials for robotics sensors are thus pivotal for future development. This work proposes self‐healable, recyclable, and biodegradable electrically conductive coatings. These coatings are based on conductive inks that combine graphene nanoplatelets and carbon nanofibers with a soft biodegradable vitrimer binder and are realized by spray coating. The use of the vitrimer ensures satisfying adhesion to diverse substrates, flexibility, conformability, self‐healing, and recyclability of the conductive coating. This material is a sustainable alternative to standard conductive inks for flexible electronics and soft robotics. Indeed, tests for the live monitoring of SoftHand3, the grasping system of many worldwide diffused robots, have yielded promising results. The use of biodegradable ingredients and the possibility of recycling makes it an appealing material to face the sustainability issue of today's electronics and robotics.

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Biodegradation of Natural Rubber: Microcosm Study

Cited by 15 publications

References 34 publications

Electrically Conductive Natural Rubber Composite Films Reinforced with Graphite Platelets

Electrically Conductive Natural Rubber Composite Films Reinforced with Graphite Platelets

Understanding Marine Biodegradation of Bio-Based Oligoesters and Plasticizers

Self‐Healing, Recyclable, Biodegradable, Electrically Conductive Vitrimer Coating for Soft Robotics

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