In situ biodegradation of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) in natural waters

The biodegradation of samples of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB)), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-10%-3-hydroxyvalerate) (P(3HB-co-10%-3HV)), and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-20%-3-hydroxyvalerate) (P(3HB-co-20%-3HV)) was investigated in situ in natural waters. The degradation was studied by decrease in mass, molecular weight, and tensile strength. In two freshwater ponds the polymers were slowly degraded. After half a year of submersion the mass loss was less than 7%. After 358 days in a freshwater canal, 34% mass loss was recorded for the homopolymer, and 77% for the P(3HB-co-10%-3-HV) samples, while the P(3HB-co-20%-3HV) samples had completely disappeared. In seawater in the harbour of Zeebrugge, P(3HB) samples lost 31% of their initial mass, and the copolymers 49–52%, within 270 days. In all of these environments, the degradation rate was faster during the summer, when the temperature of the water was higher. No relevant changes in molecular weight could be detected, indicating that the degradation took place only at the surface of the samples. The degradation resulted in considerable loss of tensile strength of the copolymer samples. Ninety-two microorganisms, mainly bacteria, able to degrade P(3HB) in polymer overlayer plates, were isolated and identified by fatty acid analysis. The isolates from one freshwater pond belonged mainly to the bacterial genus Acidovorax, while the microorganisms from the other freshwater pond belonged to various bacterial genera, to Streptomyces, and to the mould genus Penicillium. Most of the 31 bacterial isolates from seawater were identified as Alteromonas haloplanktis. The results demonstrate that P(3HB) and P(3HB-co-3HV) samples are effectively biodegradable in natural waters under real-life conditions and reveal the biodiversity of the microflora responsible for this biodegradation.Key words: poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), biodegradation, seawater, freshwater.