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Biodegradation of the cross-linked copolymer of acrylamide and potassium acrylate by soil bacteria

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Abstract

Chemical cross-linking and the high molecular weight of superabsorbent copolymers (SAPs) are the two main causes of their resistance to biodegradation. However, SAP particles are colonized by microorganisms. For the purposes of this study, the dry technical copolymer of acrylamide and potassium acrylate containing 5.28 % of unpolymerized monomers was wrapped in a geotextile and incubated in unsterile Haplic Luvisol soil as a water absorbing geocomposite. The highest number of soil bacteria that colonized the hydrated SAP and utilized it as the sole carbon and energy source was found after the first month of incubation in soil. It was equal to 7.21–7.49 log10 cfu g−1 of water absorbed by the SAP and decreased by 1.35–1.61 log10 units within the next 8 months. During this time, the initial SAP water holding capacity of 1665.8 g has decreased by 24.40 %. Moreover, the 5 g of SAP dry mass has declined by 31.70 %. Two bacteria, Rhizobium radiobacter 28SG and Bacillus aryabhattai 31SG isolated from the watered SAP were found to be able to biodegrade this SAP in pure cultures. They destroyed 25.07 and 41.85 mg of 300 mg of the technical SAP during the 60-day growth in mineral Burk’s salt medium, and biodegradation activity was equal to 2.95 and 6.72 μg of SAP μg−1 of protein, respectively. B. aryabhattai 31SG and R. radiobacter 28SG were also able to degrade 9.99 and 29.70 mg of 82 mg of the ultra-pure SAP in synthetic root exudate medium during the 30-day growth, respectively.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Janina Urban (Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Department of Plant Protection, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences) for her laboratory work. Research was conducted as part of the interdisciplinary project “Water absorbing geocomposites – innovative technologies supporting plant growth” (UDA-POIG.01.03.01-00-181/09-00) carried out under the Operational Programme Innovative Economy co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Department of Plant Protection, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Grunwaldzka 53, 50-357, Wrocław, Poland

    Małgorzata P. Oksińska, Elżbieta G. Magnucka & Stanisław J. Pietr

  2. Institute of Environmental Engineering, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Grunwaldzki Sq 24, 50-363, Wrocław, Poland

    Krzysztof Lejcuś

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  1. Małgorzata P. Oksińska
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  2. Elżbieta G. Magnucka
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Correspondence to Małgorzata P. Oksińska.

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Oksińska, M.P., Magnucka, E.G., Lejcuś, K. et al. Biodegradation of the cross-linked copolymer of acrylamide and potassium acrylate by soil bacteria. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 5969–5977 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6130-6

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