Microbial Degradation by Aspergillus Strains of Polyurethane Foams Based on Castor Oil

MARISA SPONTÓN; LUIS RIOS; SANTIAGO VAILLARD; ARTURO SIMONETTA; DIANA ESTENOZ

Florianópolis

Congreso; 12° Congresso Brasileiro de Polímeros, CBPol 2013; 2013

Univ. Federal de Santa Catarina

In this work the biodegradability of different polyurethane (PU) samples with cultures of Aspergillus clavatus and Aspergillus niger strains was studied. Flexible PU foams based on castor oil modified with maleic anhydride (MACO) were synthesized. The polymers were characterized before and after 60 days of biodegradation using different techniques, such as: Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Instron mechanical tester, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the addition of MACO increases the biodegradation rate indicating that the ester groups are vulnerable to chemical hydrolysis and enzymatic attack. Also, an ecotoxicity test was performed. The liquid medium containing degraded PUs after 60 days was toxic due to the presence of high contents of organic compound released during the degradation (polyamines and primary amines were identified by Gas Chromatography?Mass Spectrometry and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance).