Polyurethanes environmental biodegradation

Hu, Z-C., Korus, R.A., Levinson, W. E. Crawford, R. L. (1994). Adsorption and biodegradation of pentachlorophenol by polyurethane-immobilized Flavobacterium. Environmental Science Technology, 28, 491-6. 

Recently, due to the attention focused on the environment risks and on the disposal of plastic waste, many efforts have been paid in the synthesis of new bio-based polymers and in particular of bio-based PUs [46]. Indeed, as a consequence of the environmental concerns associated with the increasing global demand of oil-based and non-degrad-able PUs, there is a tendency to replace conventional non-degradable polyurethane polymers towards more environmental-friendly PUs. Thus, bio-PUs are produced replacing all or some of the conventional raw polymers constituent of the oil-based polyurethane with those bio-based and/or biodegradable polymers. 

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