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Biodegradation or Biodeterioration of Non-metallic Materials

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2021) | Viewed by 28566

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Beata Gutarowska

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Guest Editor

Institute of Fermentation Technology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Lodz University of Technology, Wolczanska 171/173, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
Interests: biodeterioration; biodegradation; biotechnology; environmental microbiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue is on the Biodeterioration and Biodegradation of Non-metallic Materials including textiles, wood, leather, rubber, paper, building and finishing materials, glass, fuels, and other technical materials. The articles presented in this Special Issue will cover various topics, ranging from microbial biodiversity, factors and mechanisms of biodeterioration, as well as methods of protection against these processes—the use of chemical methods and physical modification of materials; disinfection, with particular emphasis on the impact of methods on the material properties. This Special Issue welcomes contributions from all researchers working on the biodeterioration and biodegradation of technical materials and materials processing to obtain special antimicrobial properties. It is my pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are welcome.

Prof. dr hab. Beata Gutarowska
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

biodeterioration
biodegradation
biodiversity microorganisms
protection
biocides
disinfection
modified materials
antimicrobial activity

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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26 pages, 2741 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Biopreparation in Combination with the Polymer γ-PGA for the Biodegradation of Petroleum Contaminants in Soil

by Katarzyna Wojtowicz, Teresa Steliga, Piotr Kapusta, Joanna Brzeszcz and Tomasz Skalski

Materials 2022, 15(2), 400; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15020400 - 06 Jan 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1886

Abstract

Biodegradation is a method of effectively removing petroleum hydrocarbons from the natural environment. This research focuses on the biodegradation of aliphatic hydrocarbons, monoaromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and all three xylene isomers (BTEX) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as a result of soil inoculation with a biopreparation A1 based on autochthonous microorganisms and a biopreparation A1 with the addition of γ-PGA. The research used biopreparation A1 made of the following strains: Dietzia sp. IN133, Gordonia sp. IN138 Mycolicibacterium frederiksbergense IN53, Rhodococcus erythropolis IN119, Rhodococcus sp. IN136 and Pseudomonas sp. IN132. The experiments were carried out in laboratory conditions (microbiological tests, respirometric tests, and in semi-technical conditions (ex-situ prism method). The biodegradation efficiency was assessed on the basis of respirometric tests, chromatographic analyses and toxicological tests. As a result of inoculation of AB soil with the biopreparation A1 within 6 months, a reduction of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) (66.03%), BTEX (80.08%) and PAHs (38.86%) was achieved and its toxicity was reduced. Inoculation of AB soil with the biopreparation A1 with the addition of γ-PGA reduced the concentration of TPH, BTEX and PAHs by 79.21%, 90.19%, and 51.18%, respectively, and reduced its toxicity. The conducted research has shown that the addition of γ-PGA affects the efficiency of the biodegradation process of petroleum pollutants, increasing the degree of TPH biodegradation by 13.18%, BTEX by 10.11% and PAHs by 12.32% compared to pure biopreparation A1. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradation or Biodeterioration of Non-metallic Materials)

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16 pages, 2011 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Nickel as Stress Factor on Phenol Biodegradation by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia KB2

by Agnieszka Gąszczak, Elżbieta Szczyrba, Anna Szczotka and Izabela Greń

Materials 2021, 14(20), 6058; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14206058 - 14 Oct 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1388

Abstract

This study focuses on the phenol biodegradation kinetics by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia KB2 in a nickel-contaminated medium. Initial tests proved that a nickel concentration of 33.3 mg·L⁻¹ caused a cessation of bacterial growth. The experiments were conducted in a batch bioreactor in several series: without nickel, at constant nickel concentration and at varying metal concentrations (1.67–13.33 g·m⁻³). For a constant Ni²⁺ concentration (1.67 or 3.33 g·m⁻³), a comparable bacterial growth rate was obtained regardless of the initial phenol concentration (50–300 g·m⁻³). The dependence µ = f (S₀) at constant Ni²⁺ concentration was very well described by the Monod equations. The created varying nickel concentrations experimental database was used to estimate the parameters of selected mathematical models, and the analysis included different methods of determining metal inhibition constant K_IM. Each model showed a very good fit with the experimental data (R² values were higher than 0.9). The best agreement (R² = 0.995) was achieved using a modified Andrews equation, which considers the metal influence and substrate inhibition. Therefore, kinetic equation parameters were estimated: µ_max = 1.584 h⁻¹, K_S = 185.367 g·m⁻³, K_IS = 106.137 g·m⁻³, K_IM = 1.249 g·m⁻³ and n = 1.0706. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradation or Biodeterioration of Non-metallic Materials)

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20 pages, 7536 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Potential for and Distribution of Enzymatic Biodegradation of Polystyrene by Environmental Microorganisms

by Liyuan Hou and Erica L.-W. Majumder

Materials 2021, 14(3), 503; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14030503 - 21 Jan 2021

Cited by 57 | Viewed by 7539

Abstract

Polystyrene (PS) is one of the main polymer types of plastic wastes and is known to be resistant to biodegradation, resulting in PS waste persistence in the environment. Although previous studies have reported that some microorganisms can degrade PS, enzymes and mechanisms of microorganism PS biodegradation are still unknown. In this study, we summarized microbial species that have been identified to degrade PS. By screening the available genome information of microorganisms that have been reported to degrade PS for enzymes with functional potential to depolymerize PS, we predicted target PS-degrading enzymes. We found that cytochrome P4500s, alkane hydroxylases and monooxygenases ranked as the top potential enzyme classes that can degrade PS since they can break C–C bonds. Ring-hydroxylating dioxygenases may be able to break the side-chain of PS and oxidize the aromatic ring compounds generated from the decomposition of PS. These target enzymes were distributed in Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes, suggesting a broad potential for PS biodegradation in various earth environments and microbiomes. Our results provide insight into the enzymatic degradation of PS and suggestions for realizing the biodegradation of this recalcitrant plastic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradation or Biodeterioration of Non-metallic Materials)

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16 pages, 3653 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Micro-Polluted Surface Water Treated by Yeast-Chitosan Bio-Microcapsules

by Xiao Liu, Lin Wang and Jun Shi

Materials 2020, 13(16), 3519; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13163519 - 10 Aug 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1940

Abstract

Ammonia nitrogen and natural organic matter (NOM) seriously degrade the quality of surface waters. In this study, the optimum preparation conditions of a yeast-chitosan bio-microcapsule of the Candida tropicalis strain, used to treat micro-polluted surface water, were investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the bio-microcapsules. A continuous laboratory-scale reaction apparatus was built to evaluate the engineering applications of the bio-microcapsules and their treatment efficiency for major pollutants in micro-polluted raw water. The yeast-chitosan bio-microcapsules were found to rapidly and effectively remove suspended solids and ammonia nitrogen. Moreover, the bio-microcapsule pre-treatment process was capable of resisting impact loads and fluctuations in water quality. Even at low temperatures (12 °C), the removal rate of ammonia nitrogen still reached 79%. The treatment did not lead to a temporary increase in nitrite concentration, nor to the excessive accumulation of nitrogen. The application of bio-microcapsules is simple; it only requires aeration and certain nutrient substrates, and can be adapted to treat raw drinking water with a poor nutrient substrate, therefore showing promise for future use in engineering applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradation or Biodeterioration of Non-metallic Materials)

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Review

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15 pages, 486 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Bad and the Good—Microorganisms in Cultural Heritage Environments—An Update on Biodeterioration and Biotreatment Approaches

by Adam Pyzik, Karol Ciuchcinski, Mikolaj Dziurzynski and Lukasz Dziewit

Materials 2021, 14(1), 177; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14010177 - 01 Jan 2021

Cited by 49 | Viewed by 6816

Abstract

Cultural heritage objects constitute a very diverse environment, inhabited by various bacteria and fungi. The impact of these microorganisms on the degradation of artworks is undeniable, but at the same time, some of them may be applied for the efficient biotreatment of cultural heritage assets. Interventions with microorganisms have been proven to be useful in restoration of artworks, when classical chemical and mechanical methods fail or produce poor or short-term effects. The path to understanding the impact of microbes on historical objects relies mostly on multidisciplinary approaches, combining novel meta-omic technologies with classical cultivation experiments, and physico-chemical characterization of artworks. In particular, the development of metabolomic- and metatranscriptomic-based analyses associated with metagenomic studies may significantly increase our understanding of the microbial processes occurring on different materials and under various environmental conditions. Moreover, the progress in environmental microbiology and biotechnology may enable more effective application of microorganisms in the biotreatment of historical objects, creating an alternative to highly invasive chemical and mechanical methods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradation or Biodeterioration of Non-metallic Materials)

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18 pages, 1449 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Review on the Biological Degradation of Polymers in Various Environments

by Silvia Kliem, Marc Kreutzbruck and Christian Bonten

Materials 2020, 13(20), 4586; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13204586 - 15 Oct 2020

Cited by 101 | Viewed by 7898

Abstract

Biodegradable plastics can make an important contribution to the struggle against increasing environmental pollution through plastics. However, biodegradability is a material property that is influenced by many factors. This review provides an overview of the main environmental conditions in which biodegradation takes place and then presents the degradability of numerous polymers. Polylactide (PLA), which is already available on an industrial scale, and the polyhydroxyalkanoates polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate (PHBV), which are among the few plastics that have been proven to degrade in seawater, will be discussed in detail, followed by a summary of the degradability of further petroleum-, cellulose-, starch-, protein- and CO₂-based biopolymers and some naturally occurring polymers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradation or Biodeterioration of Non-metallic Materials)

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