Hydrophobic adsorption of aromatic compounds on polyurethane foam as a carbon source for Pseudomonas growth.

The use of polyurethane foam appears to be efficient to extract hydrophobic pollutants from aqueous media. Their adsorption is the result of spontaneous hydrophobic interactions with the foam, The rate of adsorption is a function of the diffusion of the molecules into the foam as well as their hydrophilic/lipophilic balance. A mixture of different molecules modifies the adsorption capacities of each type of molecule on the foam, probably resulting from stacking phenomena between the molecules. The Pseudomonas species can grow in the presence of the polyurethane foam and be adsorbed on it. Moreover, a strain of Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes tested in this study can use adsorbed biphenyl as the sole carbon source. Polyurethane foam therefore shows favorable characteristics for being chosen as a method of concentrating aromatic compounds and optimizing the rate of degradation of these molecules by bacteria.