Microbial Conversion of Vegetable Oil to Hydroxy Fatty Acid and Its Application to Bio-Based Polyurethane Synthesis

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Biotechnology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Polyurethanes are versatile polymers with diverse applications.
• There is a growing demand for sustainable and bio-based materials.
• Vegetable oils are abundant renewable resources for chemical synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel polyurethanes using dihydroxy fatty acid (DOD) derived from microbial conversion of olive oil.
• To investigate the properties of these new bio-based polyurethanes.
• To explore DOD's potential as a building block for sustainable polymers.

Main Methods:

• Olive oil was converted to 7,10-dihydroxy-8(E)-octadecenoic acid (DOD) using *Pseudomonas aeruginosa* PR3.
• DOD was reacted with hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) to form polyurethanes.
• Polyurethane properties were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and a universal testing machine.

Main Results:

• The synthesis of DOD and its subsequent conversion into polyurethanes were confirmed.
• Polyurethanes synthesized at an isocyanate/hydroxyl ratio of 1.4 exhibited an elongation at break of 59.2% and a tensile strength of 37.9 MPa.
• Polyurethanes incorporating DOD with polycaprolactone diol or polyethylene glycol showed enhanced elongation at break and good thermal stability.

Conclusions:

• This study successfully synthesized polyurethanes from microbially produced DOD derived from olive oil, marking a first in the field.
• The developed polyurethanes demonstrate favorable mechanical and thermal properties, indicating their potential for various applications.
• This research highlights the viability of utilizing microbial conversion of vegetable oils for producing sustainable polymer precursors.