Characterization of bacterial biofilms developed on the biodegradable polylactide and polycaprolactone polymers containing birch tar in an aquatic environment

Abstract

Birch tar was added to polylactide (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) to create films with antimicrobial properties. After incubating the films for seven days in lake water, the diversity of bacterial communities developed on the surfaces of PCL and PLA with embedded birch tar (1 %, 5 %, and 10 %, w/w) was assessed with amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene on a MiSeq platform (Illumina). Notably, Aquabacterium and Caulobacter were more abundant at the surface of PCL compared to PLA (13.4 % vs 0.2 %, p < 0.001 and 9.5 % vs 0.2 %, p < 0.001, respectively) while Hydrogenophaga was significantly more abundant at the surface of PLA compared to PCL (6.1 % vs 1.8 %, p < 0.01). Overall, lower birch tar concentrations (1 % and 5 % on both polymers) stimulated bacterial diversity in biofilms compared to the control. The number of reeds assigned to Flavobacterium and Aquabacterium showed a rising trend with the increase of birch tar concentration on the surface of both polymers.

Keywords

Bacterial diversity; Polylactide; Polycaprolactone; Birch tar; Biodegradation; Lake water

Published in

Marine Pollution Bulletin
2024, volume: 199, article number: 115922
Publisher: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

SLU Authors

• Szabó, Attila

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Polymer Chemistry
Ecology
Oceanography, Hydrology, Water Resources

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115922

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/128936