Abstract
Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) is a curing adhesive that is commonly used in the production of ammunition, and it emerged during the time of war. After entering the peaceful era, several countries around the globe have focused on the destruction of expired ammunition using safe and economical methods in terms of consumption of energy. Microorganisms exhibit a highly efficient and environment friendly degradation capability for variety of refractory substances. Therefore, in this study we screened five strains of microorganisms from five environmental soil samples for their ability to degrade HTPB. These microorganisms were identified as Microbacterium trichothecenolyticum, Microbacterium esteraromaticum, Arthrobacter pascens, Pseudonocardia carboxydivorans and Ochrobactrum anthropic based on 16S rRNA gene similarity index. We observed the uncorroded and corroded HTPB sample through scanning electron microscopy and observed the formation of lot of holes and gullies in HTPB after corrosion. An 18S rRNA gene clone library was constructed for HTPB-degrading fungi. Based on the results of library evaluation, it was found that the structure of the HTPB-degrading fungi community was relatively simple. A total of 54 positive clones were obtained. These clones represented some uncultured microorganisms that were closely related to Scytalidium lignicola, Pseudokahliella and Gonostomum strenuum. This study will help in the implementation of environment friendly degradation strategies for HTPB degradation.
Highlights
Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) is a telechelic polyol prepolymer that reacts with a crosslinker and a chain extender to form a cured product with aZhang et al AMB Express (2021) 11:180 change is produced during its use
Observation of the surface of HTPB sample with bacterial membrane attached It was observed by using scanning electron microscope that after a long incubation period, clearly pores and gullies were produced on the surface of HTPB
At present, the biodegradable HTPB material is in line with the concept of “green ammunition” and biodegradation is becoming the safest method of degradation
Summary
Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) is a telechelic polyol prepolymer that reacts with a crosslinker and a chain extender to form a cured product with aZhang et al AMB Express (2021) 11:180 change is produced during its use. In the temperature range of 160–250° C, only the carbon– carbon double bonds on the main chain of HTPB can be broken, and a temperature above 350° C is required for complete decomposition (Ganesh et al 2000; Chatragadda and Vargeese 2017). The use of microorganisms for degradation and treatment of polymeric compounds consumes less energy, but the by-products produced by decomposition can be used by microorganisms. In this way, the process of recycling and reuse of compounds becomes easy. Wu Kai et al through experiments screened out two bacteria that can use the HTPB/TDI binder system as the sole carbon source, Coccobacillus sp. and Arthrobacter sp. (Wu et al 2021)
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