Increasing the biodegradability of epoxy materials by means of vegetable oils and their oxygenated derivatives

Recycling of epoxy resin products is an urgent problem due to the microbiological resistance of such polymers. In this work, we aimed to increase the biodegradability of epoxy materials under the action of soil microorganisms and mycelial fungi. The modification of epoxy materials was carried out using soybean oil, rubber tree oil and their oxygenated derivatives, as well as a mixture of soybean oil and oleic acid. According to the obtained results, the introduction of a material based on unmodified epoxy resin into a soil leads to a 2.2-fold decrease in the respiratory activity of the soil microbiocenosis compared to untreated soil samples. This proves that epoxy-diane resins or hardeners (aminophenol) inhibit soil microbiocenosis. In comparison with the action of unmodified epoxy resins, the epoxy resins treated with vegetable oils and their oxygenated derivatives caused an increase in the respiratory activity of soil microbiocenosis, thus indicating the biodegradability of the materials under study. The decrease in the content of carboxylic acids in the composition of rubber tree oil after its epoxidation, which was confirmed by a decrease in the acid value, led to a slight decrease in the respiratory activity of soil microbiocenosis. For the same reason, the carbonation of vegetable oils had a similar effect. An improved biodegradation profile of epoxy materials following their modification was also confirmed by assessing their fungal resistance in terms of the number of the Tricho-derma fungi. It was concluded that vegetable oils and their oxygenated derivatives increase the biodegradability of epoxy materials. Among all the studied compositions, the epoxy materials modified with rubber tree oil and a mixture of soybean oil and oleic acid demonstrated the highest level of biodegradability.

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