In-Situ Aerobic Biodegradation Study of Epoxy-Acrylate Film in Compost Soil Environment

摘要

In the present investigation, biobased films were derived from epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) and waterborne epoxy acrylate (WBEA) using Pripol-1009 as a bioderived crosslinker. Flory-Rehner equation was used for determining the crosslink density of the films. Biodegradability of these films has been studied by compost soil burial exposure test for 90 days. The change in surface morphology was studied using SEM and the weight loss with respect to exposure period was also assessed. The mechanistic study of the degradation process was analyzed through fourier transform infra red spectroscopic (FTIR) analysis. It was observed that the weight loss and morphology changes of ESO was governed by the material's composition, crosslink density and the compost-burial exposure time. It was also suggested that Bacillus sp., Aspergillus sp., Mucous sp., and Pencillium sp. are the possible soil microbes that are involved in degradation of ESO in the compost soil environment more readily than WBEA counterpart. The ecotoxicity of the compost after biodegradation of the samples was assessed through seed germination and plant growth technique.