• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.682-690
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• 1999

The quaternary random copolyesters of poly (butylene glutarate-co-adipate-co-succinate-co-terephthalate)(PBGAST) were synthesized and charaterized by $^1H-NMR$ spectrometry, DSC method, and X-ray diffractometry. Thus the melting point trends and crystallization behaviors of PBGAST copolyesters were obviously depended on terephthalate content in copolymers as well as reaction condition.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.267-272
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• 2007

Microorganisms capable of degrading poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate) (PBSA) were isolated from 40 soil samples such as landfill site soil, cultivating soil and activated sludge soil from 20 different sites in Korea by using the enrichment culture and the clear zone test at $37^{\circ}C$. Based on the 16S rDNA sequences, the isolated bacterium was identified to be Streptomyces sp. PBSA-1. Morphological and cultural characteristics were employed for the identification of the isolated fungi and they were proved to be Aspergillus fumigatus PBSA-2 and Aspergillus fumigatus PBSA-3. The PBSA degradation activity of the isolated microorganisms was enhanced through the serial acclimation in PBSA plate medium. The PBSA degrading microorganisms appeared to be highly active for the PBSA degradation in that 83% of PBSA was degraded by Streptomyces sp. PBSA-l, and 65% and 75% of PBSA was mineralized by A. fumigatus PBSA2 and A. fumigatus PBSA-3 respectively during 40 days of the modified Sturm test.

• Clean Technology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.223-228
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• 2002

The biodegradable Properties of various polyester resins with different chemical structures have been studied by applying the controlled compost test and soil burial test. Celluose was taken as a fully biodegradable reference resin while PVC and PE were empolyed as non-biodegradable reference chains or ester group were rather easily degraded by hydrolase, meanwhile copolymer type polyesters which contain aromatic rings showed relatively low biodegradability. According to the results from controlled compost test, cellulose(the positive reference) showed 70.6% degradation after 45 days, whereas synthetic poly(butylene adipate-co-succinate), poly(butylene succinate), poly(butylene adipate-co-succinate-co-terephthalate) showed 44.0%, 32.0% and 23.4% degradation respectively. In this regard, it was concluded that biodegradable properties of polymers are largely dependant on the chemical structures constituting the polymers.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.150-157
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• 2010

Biodegradation behavior of poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate) (PBSA) was examined when PBSA was buried in the natural soil and the soil inoculated with Burkholderia cepacia after sterilization. After 80 days of the soil burial test at room temperature, the PBSA film buried in the natural soil lost 34.0% of its intial weight, while the same film lost 59.2% of its initial weight when buried in the sterile soil inoculated with B. cepacia. The optical and SEM observations of the surface morphology of the PBSA film also indicated that the surface erosion and rupture took place faster when the film was buried in the sterile soil inoculated with B. cepacia compared to the film buried in the natural soil. Viable cell number in the natural soil and that the sterile soil inoculated with B. cepacia increased by a factor of 6~7 and 10~14, respectively as compared to the initial viable cell number.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.557-564
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• 2005

Thermoplastic starch (TPS) was manufactured and blended with poly(butylene adipate-co-succinate) (PBAS), which is one of the most popular biodegradable aliphatic polyesters. The effects of the TPS contents on the mechanical properties, thermal characteristics, and biodegradability of PBAS/TPS blends were investigated. The foaming characteristics of those were also studied. With small amount of TPS, mechanical properties of the blends were largely deteriorated and the variations of them decreased with more addition of TPS. In addition, TPS decreased crystallinity and thermal decomposition temperature of PBAS. The PBAS/TPS foam having maximum blowing ratio was obtained with 20 Phr of TPS, and their blowing ratio decreased with the further increase of TPS.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.198-204
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• 2009

From leaf mold and reclamation site soil of the Capital area of Korea, 3 poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate: PBSA)-degrading strains were isolated through the clear zone test. The PBSA-degrading activities of the strains were assessed by means of a modified Sturm test using 0.01% of PBSA film as a sole carbon source. After the modified Sturm tests for 40 days at the respective isolation temperatures, the 3 strains degraded 30%, 55% and 43% of PBSA, respectively. The isolated strains were identified to be Burkholderia cepacia PBSA-4, Bacillus licheniformisPBSA-5 and Burkholderia sp. PBSA-6 through the 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis. Among them, PBSA-5 degraded both PBSA and Poly(vinyl alcohol). The degradation activity of the PBSA degrading strains appeared to be high at moderate temperatures such as $27^{\circ}C$ and $37^{\circ}C$, and initial inoculum size of $10^{10}cfu\;mL^{-1}$ degraded PBSA 1.2~1.3 more times than that $10^9cfu\;mL^{-1}$. Addition of 0.1 or 0.5% (w/w) of gelatin, yeast extract and ammonium sulfate raised the PBSA degrading activity, and especially addition of 0.1% (w/w) of gelatin enhanced the PBSA degrading activity by more than 33%. The mixed strains degraded PBSA faster than the single strain.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.580-585
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• 2011

This article aims to enhance the biodegradability and environment-friendliness of petroleum based biodegradable poly(butylene adipate-co-succinate-co-terephthalate)(PBAST) by blending chemically modified thermoplastic starch(CMPS). CMPS is a kind of bio-based biodegradable resin which is manufactured by reacting starch with maleic anhydride(MA) in the presence of a plasticizer and a free radical initiator. The characteristic properties of PBAST/CMPS blends were investigated by observing their morphology, thermal, mechanical properties, and biodegradability. The good interfacial adhesion between the phases examined by SEM revealed that PBAST/CMPS blends were compatible blends. The tensile strength and elongation decreased with increasing CMPS content, while modulus increased. The biodegradability of the blends was much higher than that of pristine PBAST and increased with increasing CMPS contents.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.95-100
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• 2010

Burkholderia cepacia PBSA-7, Bacillus licheniformis PBSA-8 and Burkholderia sp. PBSA-9 previously collected from Korea soil (Joo and Kim, 2009) were analyzed for the presence of genes encoding proteins operative in the degradation of poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate; PBSA). Polymerase chain reaction analyses revealed a 1.5 kb fragment of the lipase gene (lip A) in B. cepacia PBSA-7 and Burkholderia sp. PBSA-9, while B. licheniformis PBSA-8 harbored the same gene fragment at 600 bp. The three strains possessed "Gly-X1-Ser-X2-Gly" and "Ala-X1-Ser-X2-Gly" lipase sequence regions. Burkholderia sp. PBSA-7 lip A displayed 36~40% homology with the family 1-1 lipases and 82~92% homology with the family 1-5. Burkholderia sp. PBSA-8 lip A was 64~65% homologous with the subfamily 1-4 lipases, but displayed no homology with the subfamily 1-5 lipases. Burkholderia sp. PBSA-9 lip A displayed 35~37% homology with the family I1 lipases and 83~94% homology with the family I2 lipases, similar to Burkholderia sp. PBSA-7.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.247-251
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• 2008

Degradation behavior in the seawater of Tongyeong, Incheon, Kunsan and Hongsung was explored for Mater-Bi$^{(R)}$, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxy valerate) (PHBV), poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate) (PBSA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) which can eventually be used for various fishery tools. Acinetobacter lwoffu/junii and Shewanella algae/putrefaciens inhabited all the seawater samples. Eikenella corrodens was also detected in all the seawater samples, although identified with poor confidence by VITEK system. Mater-Bi$^{(R)}$ was degraded faster than PHBV, PBSA and PCL in the seawater in contradiction to the degradation behavior in soil environment. The seawater retrieved from Incheon exhibited the most elevated activity for the plastic degradation, which may be partly ascribed to the largest number of total viable counts.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.784-788
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• 1999

The effects of pH, moisture content, and the relative amount of a polymer sample on the biodegradation of degradable polymers in soil were studied using various polymer materials such as cellulose, poly-(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (SG) polycaprolactone (PCL), a blend of PCL and starch (PCL-starch), and a poly-lactic acid (PLA). As with other materials, the polymers degraded faster at a neutral pH than at either acidic or basic conditions. Moisture contents of 60 and 100% water holding capacity exhibited a similar biodegradability for various polymers, although the effects differed depending on the polymer. For synthetic polymers, biodegradation was faster at 60%, while the natural polymer (cellulose) degraded faster at 100%. Fungal hypae was observed at a 60% water holding capacity which may have affected the biodegradation of the polymers. A polymer amount of 0.25% to soil revealed the highest biodegradability among the ratios of 0.25, 0.5, and 1%. With a higher sample amount, the residual polymer could be recovered after the biodegradation test. It was confirmed that a test for general biodegradation condition can be applied to plastic biodegradation in soil.