Biodegradation of polyurethane odour carriers in natural environment: microbial degradation and material breakdown

Information regarding the biodegradation of materials used in conservation ecology is limited. We evaluated the biodegradability of two polyurethane (PU) foams applied in wildlife management. The samples were buried in soil for 120 days to investigate their morphological and physicochemical changes. At the end of the study, the bacteria attached to the PU samples were isolated and identified. Weight loss analysis revealed stronger degradation in the aliphatic PU foam (11.70%) compared to the aromatic foam (1.85%). FTIR spectra indicated the breakdown of urethane and ester bonds, as shown by comparing peak area ratios between pristine and degraded samples. SEM analysis revealed surface alterations and microbial colonization. Eight bacterial strains isolated from the soil, identified as PU degraders, belonged to the genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus, and Klebsiella. All the strains had the ability to utilize Impranil DLN, an anionic PU dispersion, as a carbon source, indicating their potential for PU degradation.