Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Degradation of medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates in tropical forest and mangrove soils

  • Original Articles
  • Published:
Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Bacterial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are perceived to be a suitable alternative to petrochemical plastics because they have similar material properties, are environmentally degradable, and are produced from renewable resources. In this study, the in situ degradation of medium-chain-length PHA (PHAMCL) films in tropical forest and mangrove soils was assessed. The PHAMCL was produced by Pseudomonas putida PGA1 using saponified palm kernel oil (SPKO) as the carbon source. After 112 d of burial, there was 16.7% reduction in gross weight of the films buried in acidic forest soil (FS), 3.0% in the ones buried in alkaline forest soil by the side of a stream (FSst) and 4.5% in those buried in mangrove soil (MS). There was a slight decrease in molecular weight for the films buried in FS but not for the films buried in FSst and in MS. However, no changes were observed for the melting temperature, glass transition temperature, monomer compositions, structure, and functional group analyses of the films from any of the burial sites during the test period. This means that the integral properties of the films were maintained during that period and degradation was by surface erosion. Scanning electron microscopy of the films from the three sites revealed holes on the film surfaces which could be attributed to attack by microorganisms and bigger organisms such as detritivores. For comparison purposes, films of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a short-chain-length PHA, and polyethylene (PE) were buried together with the PHAMCL films in all three sites. The PHB films disintegrated completely in MS and lost 73.5% of their initial weight in FSst, but only 4.6% in FS suggesting that water movement played a major role in breaking up the brittle PHB films. The PE films did not register any weight loss in any of the test sites.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Swift, G. (1992), FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 103, 339–346.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Imam, S. H., Chen, L., Gordon, S. H., Shogren, R. L., Weisleder, D., and Greene, R. V. (1998), J. Environ. Polym. Degrad. 6, 91–98.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Imam, S. H., Gordon, S. H., Shogren, R. L., Tosteson, T. R., Govind, N. S., and Greene, R. V. (1999), Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65, 431–437.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Lee, S. Y. (1996), Biotechnol. Bioeng. 49, 1–4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Jendrossek, D., Schirmer, A., and Schlegel, H. G. (1996), Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 46, 451–463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Marchessault, R. H., Monasterios, C. J., Jesudason, J. J., et al. (1994), Polym. Degrad. Stab. 45, 187–196.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Brandl, H., Bachofen, R., Mayer, J., and Wintermantel, E. (1995), Can. J. Microbiol. 41(Suppl. 1), 143–153.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Tan, I. K. P., Kumar, K. S., Theanmalar, M., Gan, S. N., and Gordon III, B. (1997), Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 47, 207–211.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Ho, Y. H., Gan, S. N., and Tan, I. K. P. (2002), Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol. 102–103, 337–347.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). (1992), in Annual Book of ASTM Standards, ASTM, Philadelphia, pp. 815–818.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Doi, Y., Kawaguchi, Y., Nakamura, Y., and Kunioka, M. (1989), Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 55, 2932–2938.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Lageveen, R. G., Huisman, G. W., Preusting, H., Ketelaar, P., Eggink, G., and Witholt, B. (1988), Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 54, 2924–2932.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Rowell, D. L. (1996), Soil Science: methods and applications, Longman, Singapore, pp. 153–161.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Braunegg, G., Sonnleitner, B., and Lafferty, R. M. (1978), Eur. J. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 6, 29–37.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Nishida, H. and Tokiwa, Y. (1993), J. Environ. Polym. Degrad. 1, 65–80.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Mergaert, J., Webb, A., Anderson, C., Wouters, A., and Swings, J. (1993), Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59, 3233–3238.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Timmins, M. R. and Lenz, R. W. (1994), in Trends in polymer science, Vol. 2, Hawthorne, W., ed., Elsevier Science Ltd., UK, pp. 15–19.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Mergaert, J., Wouters, A., Anderson, C., and Swings, J. (1995), Can. J. Microbiol. 41(Suppl. 1), 154–159.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Doi, Y., Kasuya, K., Abe, H., et al. (1996), Polym. Degrad. Stab. 51, 281–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Tsuji, H. and Suzuyoshi, K. (2002), Polym. Degrad. Stab. 75, 357–365.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Tsuji, H. and Suzuyoshi, K. (2002), Polym. Degrad. Stab. 75, 347–355.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Gross, R. A., Demello, C., Kenz, R. W., Brandl, H., and Fuller, R. C. (1989), Macromolecules 22, 1106–1115.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Preusting, H., Nijenhuie, A., and Witholt, B. (1990), Macromolecules 23, 4220–4224.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Siew-Ping Lim & Irene K. P. Tan

  2. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Seng-Neon Gan

Authors
  1. Siew-Ping Lim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Seng-Neon Gan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Irene K. P. Tan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Irene K. P. Tan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lim, SP., Gan, SN. & Tan, I.K.P. Degradation of medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates in tropical forest and mangrove soils. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 126, 23–33 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-005-0003-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-005-0003-7

Index Entries

Search

Navigation