Biodegradation Studies of Polyhydroxybutyrate and Polyhydroxybutyrate-<i>co</i>-Polyhydroxyvalerate Films in Soil
Due to increased environmental pressures, significant research has focused on finding suitable biodegradable plastics to replace ubiquitous petrochemical-derived polymers. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a class of polymers that can be synthesized by microorganisms and are biodegradable, making the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/8/7638 |
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| author | Jihyeon Kim Nevin S. Gupta Lindsey B. Bezek Jacqueline Linn Karteek K. Bejagam Shounak Banerjee Joseph H. Dumont Sang Yong Nam Hyun Woo Kang Chi Hoon Park Ghanshyam Pilania Carl N. Iverson Babetta L. Marrone Kwan-Soo Lee |
| author_facet | Jihyeon Kim Nevin S. Gupta Lindsey B. Bezek Jacqueline Linn Karteek K. Bejagam Shounak Banerjee Joseph H. Dumont Sang Yong Nam Hyun Woo Kang Chi Hoon Park Ghanshyam Pilania Carl N. Iverson Babetta L. Marrone Kwan-Soo Lee |
| author_sort | Jihyeon Kim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Due to increased environmental pressures, significant research has focused on finding suitable biodegradable plastics to replace ubiquitous petrochemical-derived polymers. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a class of polymers that can be synthesized by microorganisms and are biodegradable, making them suitable candidates. The present study looks at the degradation properties of two PHA polymers: polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and polyhydroxybutyrate-<i>co</i>-polyhydroxyvalerate (PHBV; 8 wt.% valerate), in two different soil conditions: soil fully saturated with water (100% relative humidity, RH) and soil with 40% RH. The degradation was evaluated by observing the changes in appearance, chemical signatures, mechanical properties, and molecular weight of samples. Both PHB and PHBV were degraded completely after two weeks in 100% RH soil conditions and showed significant reductions in mechanical properties after just three days. The samples in 40% RH soil, however, showed minimal changes in mechanical properties, melting temperatures/crystallinity, and molecular weight over six weeks. By observing the degradation behavior for different soil conditions, these results can pave the way for identifying situations where the current use of plastics can be replaced with biodegradable alternatives. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:55:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f21ca7cfc2bc444abc17be305d9d83d1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:55:37Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-f21ca7cfc2bc444abc17be305d9d83d12023-11-17T19:43:27ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672023-04-01248763810.3390/ijms24087638Biodegradation Studies of Polyhydroxybutyrate and Polyhydroxybutyrate-<i>co</i>-Polyhydroxyvalerate Films in SoilJihyeon Kim0Nevin S. Gupta1Lindsey B. Bezek2Jacqueline Linn3Karteek K. Bejagam4Shounak Banerjee5Joseph H. Dumont6Sang Yong Nam7Hyun Woo Kang8Chi Hoon Park9Ghanshyam Pilania10Carl N. Iverson11Babetta L. Marrone12Kwan-Soo Lee13Chemistry Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USAChemistry Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USAChemistry Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USAChemistry Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USAMaterials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USABioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USAChemistry Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USADepartment of Materials Engineering and Convergence Technology, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Energy Engineering, Future Convergence Technology Research Institute, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52725, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Energy Engineering, Future Convergence Technology Research Institute, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52725, Republic of KoreaMaterials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USAChemistry Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USABioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USAChemistry Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USADue to increased environmental pressures, significant research has focused on finding suitable biodegradable plastics to replace ubiquitous petrochemical-derived polymers. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a class of polymers that can be synthesized by microorganisms and are biodegradable, making them suitable candidates. The present study looks at the degradation properties of two PHA polymers: polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and polyhydroxybutyrate-<i>co</i>-polyhydroxyvalerate (PHBV; 8 wt.% valerate), in two different soil conditions: soil fully saturated with water (100% relative humidity, RH) and soil with 40% RH. The degradation was evaluated by observing the changes in appearance, chemical signatures, mechanical properties, and molecular weight of samples. Both PHB and PHBV were degraded completely after two weeks in 100% RH soil conditions and showed significant reductions in mechanical properties after just three days. The samples in 40% RH soil, however, showed minimal changes in mechanical properties, melting temperatures/crystallinity, and molecular weight over six weeks. By observing the degradation behavior for different soil conditions, these results can pave the way for identifying situations where the current use of plastics can be replaced with biodegradable alternatives.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/8/7638polyhydroxybutyratebiodegradable polymerspolymer degradationgreen chemistrydensity functional theory |
| spellingShingle | Jihyeon Kim Nevin S. Gupta Lindsey B. Bezek Jacqueline Linn Karteek K. Bejagam Shounak Banerjee Joseph H. Dumont Sang Yong Nam Hyun Woo Kang Chi Hoon Park Ghanshyam Pilania Carl N. Iverson Babetta L. Marrone Kwan-Soo Lee Biodegradation Studies of Polyhydroxybutyrate and Polyhydroxybutyrate-<i>co</i>-Polyhydroxyvalerate Films in Soil International Journal of Molecular Sciences polyhydroxybutyrate biodegradable polymers polymer degradation green chemistry density functional theory |
| title | Biodegradation Studies of Polyhydroxybutyrate and Polyhydroxybutyrate-<i>co</i>-Polyhydroxyvalerate Films in Soil |
| title_full | Biodegradation Studies of Polyhydroxybutyrate and Polyhydroxybutyrate-<i>co</i>-Polyhydroxyvalerate Films in Soil |
| title_fullStr | Biodegradation Studies of Polyhydroxybutyrate and Polyhydroxybutyrate-<i>co</i>-Polyhydroxyvalerate Films in Soil |
| title_full_unstemmed | Biodegradation Studies of Polyhydroxybutyrate and Polyhydroxybutyrate-<i>co</i>-Polyhydroxyvalerate Films in Soil |
| title_short | Biodegradation Studies of Polyhydroxybutyrate and Polyhydroxybutyrate-<i>co</i>-Polyhydroxyvalerate Films in Soil |
| title_sort | biodegradation studies of polyhydroxybutyrate and polyhydroxybutyrate i co i polyhydroxyvalerate films in soil |
| topic | polyhydroxybutyrate biodegradable polymers polymer degradation green chemistry density functional theory |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/8/7638 |
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