Rajan Aiswarya, Ameen Fuad, Jambulingam Ranjitha, Shankar Vijayalakshmi
School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore 632014, India.
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Polymers (Basel). 2024 May 16;16(10):1411. doi: 10.3390/polym16101411.
Polyurethane (PU) is a type of polymer, which exists in various forms in the environment. Very few studies are available concerning the structure or enzymatic mechanism of the microbial community, which can degrade PU. Degradation of PU remains a difficult problem with respect to the environmental and biological disciplines. This study mainly focused on identifying the micro-organisms able to degrade polyurethane and confirming the degradation by performing a plate assay, Sturm test and scanning electron microscopy. Optimal culture conditions for maximum PU degradation were also analyzed through classical methods. A soil burial test was conducted by placing polyurethane films in the soil for one month, and the microbe growing on the surface of polyurethane films-with a maximum degradation of 55%-was isolated and identified as (ARF5). The culture medium was also optimized with different physical and chemical parameters for maximum PU degradation. The presence of CO as a by-product of PU biodegradation was confirmed through the Sturm test.
聚氨酯（PU）是一种聚合物，在环境中以多种形式存在。关于能够降解PU的微生物群落的结构或酶促机制的研究非常少。在环境和生物学领域，PU的降解仍然是一个难题。本研究主要集中于鉴定能够降解聚氨酯的微生物，并通过平板试验、斯特姆试验和扫描电子显微镜来确认降解情况。还通过经典方法分析了实现最大程度PU降解的最佳培养条件。通过将聚氨酯薄膜置于土壤中一个月进行土壤掩埋试验，分离出在聚氨酯薄膜表面生长且降解率最高达55%的微生物，并鉴定为（ARF5）。还针对最大程度的PU降解，对不同物理和化学参数的培养基进行了优化。通过斯特姆试验确认了作为PU生物降解副产物的CO的存在。
