Isolation, identification and screening of Polyurethane polymer degrading microbe isolated from contaminated site

The objective of this research was to isolate soil-based bacteria that may destroy polyurethane (PU). PU plays a crucial role in many parts of our daily life. Polyurethanes are a significant and adaptable group of synthetic polymers utilized in a wide range of industrial, automotive and medical sectors. Due of its widespread use and challenges in recycling or reusing, PU primarily becomes garbage. PU has been observed to be degraded by a variety of bacteria and fungi. The objective of this study was to isolate polyurethane degrading microbes from the soil sample. Two bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and three fungi Aspergillus versicolor, Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus Niger, were isolated and identified from the soil sample based on morphological and biochemical characteristics. In this study, the fungus Aspergillus versicolor shows the high degradation percentage on polyurethane film. Scanning electron microscopy and ATR-FTIR were used in this study to evaluate the surface and chemical alterations of PU.