BIODEGRADATION OF A COLLOIDAL ESTER-BASED POLYURETHANE BY SOIL FUNGI

Four species of fungi were isolated from soil and found to degrade ester-based polyurethane in a polyurethane-agar clearing assay. One of these isolates, Curvularia senegalensis, secreted an extracellular enzyme-like factor with esterase properties, as determined by fluorescein diacelate hydrolysis, and this active factor was partially purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation. The polyurethane-clearing factor had an isoelectric point of 5.1 and a molecular weight of 28 kDa. It was stable to heating at 100-degrees-C for 10 min and was inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride.