title: Utilization of chemically oxidized polystyrene as co-substrate by filamentous fungi.
abstract: Atactic polystyrene, one of the most widely used chemical products, was subjected to novel chemically oxidative treatments able to trigger a great variety of physical and chemical changes in the polymer's chains. The oxidized polystyrene samples, when analyzed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) clearly showed the formation of carbonyl groups and hydroxyl groups, which increased with the increase in the strength of chemically oxidative treatments. In fungal degradation tests deploying Curvularia species, the fungus colonized the oxidized samples within 9 weeks. Colonization was confirmed by microscopic examination, which showed that the hyphae had adhered to and penetrated the polymer's structure in all the treated samples. Such colonization and adhesion by microorganisms are a fundamental prerequisite for biodegradation of polymers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Science, Chair of Hygiene, University of Salerno, via Ponte don Melillo, 84084 Fisciano (SA), Italy. omotta@unisa.it
authors.forename: Oriana
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Motta
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Proto
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Carlo
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Caro
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brunetti
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Capunzo
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D025301:Hyphae / Q000502:physiology; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning / Q000379:methods; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D011137:Polystyrenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D011091:Polyesters; D011137:Polystyrenes; C472388:ecoflex