• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.33 no.8
• /
• pp.1076-1083
• /
• 2023

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a biodegradable and biocompatible bioplastic. Effective PHB degradation in nutrient-poor environments is required for industrial and practical applications of PHB. To screen for PHB-degrading strains, PHB double-layer plates were prepared and three new Bacillus infantis species with PHB-degrading ability were isolated from the soil. In addition, phaZ and bdhA of all isolated B. infantis were confirmed using a Bacillus sp. universal primer set and established polymerase chain reaction conditions. To evaluate the effective PHB degradation ability under nutrient-deficient conditions, PHB film degradation was performed in mineral medium, resulting in a PHB degradation rate of 98.71% for B. infantis PD3, which was confirmed in 5 d. Physical changes in the degraded PHB films were analyzed. The decrease in molecular weight due to biodegradation was confirmed using gel permeation chromatography and surface erosion of the PHB film was observed using scanning electron microscopy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on B. infantis showing its excellent PHB degradation ability and is expected to contribute to PHB commercialization and industrial composting.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.58-63
• /
• 1999

Biodegradable films were prepared by solution blend method in the weight ratio of chitosan for the purpose of useful biomaterials. The possibility of biomaterials prepared from natural polymer as a skin substitute was evaluated by measuring biocompatibility. These films were inserts in the back of rat and their biodegradability was investigated by the film weight and hematology as a function of time for the biotransformation. The result of rat test showed that medium, high viscosity chitosan induced some suspects of inbiocompatibility in the tissue by goreign body reaction 48 and 72 hours after implantation. Also, we prepared the official burn ointment which is made by low viscosity chitosan. This burn ointment was covered on the skin wound of artificial burn and their effect of healing was investigated by the evaluation of the naked eye and hematological change as a function of time. The result of rats test showed that burn ointments made from chitosan was effective reductio of inflammation than negative group.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.24-30
• /
• 2000

Chitosan films were prepared using four types of chitosans with different molecular weight and the effect of molecular weight of chitosan on selected film properties such as color, water vapor permeability (WVP), water solubility (WS), tensile strength (TS), and elongation at break (E) was investigated. Generally, the total color difference (${\Delta}E$) and WS of the films decreased, while TS and E of the films increased as molecular weight of chitosan increased. WVP of the films did not show any significant relationship with molecular weight of chitosan.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
• /
• v.40 no.4
• /
• pp.27-33
• /
• 2008

Polyethylene terephtahalate has been used in several areas such as fiber, film, bottle, and disposable products. Production of PET has been rapidly increasing these days. Since PET is a semi-permanent material, it has a non-biodegradable character in itself. Wasted PET products can cause serious environmental problems. Many countries around the world impose environmental legal restrictions over their abandonments. Many researches on the enviromental influence factors and treatment techniques of the wasted PET have been carried out. The main objective of this study is to develop a new sizing agent using recycling PET and improve its internal sizing effect. Dried powder of PET was used to make the modified PET. After extracting water-dispersible PET by subcritical hydrolysis, polyester resins have been extracted and triphenyl phosphate(TPP) has been added to obtain optimal internal sizing agent. It was found that the optimum dosage of TPP was 2% (per PET weight) and the hydrolysis temperature was independent on making the modified PET.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.159-164
• /
• 2014

Biodegradable Poly(butylene succinate), PBS, was photooxidized by UV/ozone irradiation and the effect of UV energy on the surface properties of the UV-irradiated PBS film were investigated by the measurement of reflectance, surface roughness, contact angles, chemical composition, and zeta potential. With increasing UV energy, reflectance decreased in the visible and ultraviolet regions particularly at the wavelength of 380nm. The irradiation produced nano-scale surface roughness including the maximum peak-to-valley roughness increased from 106nm for the unirradiated sample to 221nm at the UV energy of $10.6J/cm^2$. The improved hydrophilicity was due to the higher $O_{1s}/C_{1s}$ resulting from the introduction of polar groups such as C-O and C=O bonds. The surface energy of the PBS increased from $42.1mJ/m^2$ for the unirradiated PBS to $56.8mJ/m^2$ at the irradiation of $21.2J/cm^2$. The zeta potentials of the UV-irradiated PBS also decreased proportionally with increasing UV energy. The cationic dyeability of the PBS increased accordingly resulting from the improved affinity of the irradiated PBS surfaces containing photochemically introduced anionic and dipolar dyeing sites.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.927-933
• /
• 2011

Conducting polyaniline-poly($\varepsilon$-caprolactone) polymer composites were synthesized via in situ deposition techniques. By dissolving different weight percentages of poly($\varepsilon$-caprolactone) (PCL) (10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%), the oxidative polymerization of aniline was achieved using ammonium persulfate as an oxidant. FTIR, UV-vis spectra, and X-ray diffraction studies support a strong interaction between polyaniline (PANI) and PCL. Structural morphology of the PANI-PCL polymer composites was studied using scanned electron microscopy (SEM) and transmittance electron microscopy (TEM), and thermal stability was analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) technique. The temperature-dependent DC conductivity of PANI-PCL polymer composite films was studied in the range of 305-475 K, which revealed a semiconducting behavior in the transport properties of the polymer films. Conductivity increased with the increase of PCL in below critical level, however conductivity of the polymer film was decreased with increase of PCL concentration higher than the critical value.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.196-200
• /
• 2014

A novel, simple and totally recyclable method has been developed for the synthesis of nontoxic, biocompatible and biodegradable bio-composite films from soy protein and silk protein. Bio films are defined as flexible films prepared from biological materials such as protein. These materials have potential application in medical and food as a packaging material. Their use depends on various parameters such as mechanical (strength and modulus), thermal, among others. In this study, prepare and characterization of bio films made from Soy Protein Isolate (SPI) (matrix) and Silk Fiber (SF) (reinforcement) through solution casting method by the addition of plasticizer and crosslinking agent. The obtained SPI and SPI/SF composites were subsequently subjected to evaluate their mechanical and thermal properties by using Universal Testing Machine and Thermal Gravimetric Analyzer respectively. The tensile testing showed significant improvements in strength with increasing amount of SF content and the % elongation at break of the composites of the SPI/SF was lower than that of the matrix. Though the interfacial bonding was moderate, the improvement in tensile strength and modulus was attributed to the higher tensile properties of the silk fiber.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.40-47
• /
• 2021

As modern society develops, it becomes very complex and diverse, and interests in the convenience of life and the natural environment are gradually increasing. Products used in our daily life are also changing according to the needs of consumers, and food packaging is one of them. In particular, retort packaging materials have been used for the purpose of long-term preservation of contents, but the appearance of products suitable for recent environmental issues has been somewhat delayed. Therefore, in order to develop eco-friendly and human-friendly products by replacing the metals used in the existing retort packaging materials, the possibility of substitution was examined using cellulose nanofibers, a natural material. As a result, it can be seen that all functions can be replaced according to the existing long-term storage characteristics for retort packaging films. In particular, not only oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability, which are one of the most important factors, but also heat resistance, which is heating durability, is evaluated as applicable to commercialization compared to products using metals currently in use.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.103-110
• /
• 2023

The study aimed to enhance the properties of polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable and biocompatible substitute for fossil-based plastics. Since the applicability of PLA has been limited because of its toughness and brittleness, microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and propolis were introduced into PLA. As a result, the PLA film with MFC/propolis showed significant improvements in mechanical strength, elongation, and storage modulus, while also experiencing a decrease in the glass transition temperature. Additionally, the presence of polyphenols in propolis led to a reduction in light transmittance in the UV wavelength range. These enhancements are attributed to MFC tightly bonding with PLA polymers, and propolis acting as a plasticizer and mediator between MFC and PLA, preventing agglomeration. These reinforced PLA films have the potential to be used in flexible packaging for light-sensitive products.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.5 no.4
• /
• pp.31-44
• /
• 1985

The application of anaerobic attached microbial films in the expanded bed process has recently been examined at high temperatures ($55^{\circ}C$) and with particulate matter. Extrapolation of the kinetics suggested that waste activated sludge (WAS) could be efficiently digested at hydraulic retention times as short as six hours in the expanded bed process. This would represent a 99 percent digester reactor volume reduction and would introduce interesting solids management alternatives if such a high rate process were developed. This paper presents a summary of a 1.5 year study of the feasibility of such a process. Three continuously fed $55^{\circ}C$ laboratory reactor systems were used to define the kinetics and the site of reactions-control completely mixed reactors were compared to the expanded beds (AAFEB) with and without a hydrolysis unit preceding the attached film unit. Well defined laboratory-generated WAS was compared to actual WAS from a domestic sewage treatment facility. Sixty percent of the biodegradable organics were converted in an AAFEB at a 15-hour hydraulic retention time without hydrolysis, whereas greater than 95 perccent of the biodegradable organics were stabilized in a two-stage system consisting of a 3-day HRT hydrolysis reactor followed by a 15-hour HRT AAFEB. The limitations of this high rate process and its potential application are discussed.