title: Applying Raman spectroscopy to the assessment of the biodegradation of industrial polyurethanes wastes.
abstract: Polyether-based polyurethanes (PBP) are extremely problematic polymers due to their long persistence in the environment. Moreover, the assessment of PBP biodegradation remains biased due to the inability of conventional methods to determine how their diverse subunits are degraded. To improve our knowledge of PBP biodegradation, we used Raman spectroscopy to identify patterns of PBP biodegradation. Specifically, PBP biodegradation was assessed using a microbial inoculum isolated from an industrial soil in which polyurethanes have been buried for 40 years. During a 28-day biodegradation assay, the PBP biodegradation level reached 27.5% (w/w), in addition to undergoing profound alteration of the PBP composition as identified by chemical analyses. After microbial degradation, Raman analyses revealed the disappearance of the polymer's amorphous region, which contains a high polyol content, whereas the isocyanate-rich crystalline regions were preserved. The use of Raman spectroscopy appears to be a particularly useful tool to enhance our assessment of polymer biodegradation.
authors: University of Nantes, UMR CNRS, 6144 GEPEA CBAC lab, 18 Bvd Gaston Defferre, 85035, La Roche sur Yon, France.
authors: Mickael
authors: M
authors: Cregut
authors: Marion
authors: M
authors: Bedas
authors: Ali
authors: A
authors: Assaf
authors: Marie-José
authors: MJ
authors: Durand-Thouand
authors: Gérald
authors: G
authors: Thouand
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D011108:Polymers; D011140:Polyurethanes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D011108:Polymers; D011140:Polyurethanes; C024617:polyol
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