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Influence of biodegradation of polyhydroxyalkanoates on soil properties and composition
Denková, Pavla ; Doležalová Weissmannová, Helena (referee) ; Kučerík, Jiří (advisor)
Biodegradable plastics are presented as a promising replacement for synthetic polymers. In soil, they are expected to be fully degraded by micro-organisms within a short time and to be inherently harmless to the environment. However, this assumption needs to be verified, and it is important to pay attention to the impact on soil´s biota as well as the effect of the biodegradation process could have on soil properties, composition and structure. In this work was studied the effect of biodegradation of poly(R-3-hydroxybutyrate), (P3HB), belonging to the group of polyhydroxyalkanoates, on the structure and physicochemical properties of soil. P3HB particles were mixed in different concentrations with soil in which biodegradation experiments were carried out under different conditions - i.e. with and without growing plant, with and without nitrogen fertilization. After 90 days, were soil analyzed. Thermogravimetry was used to determine the amount of residual non-degraded micro-bioplastics and to determine the effect of biodegradation on the properties of soil organic matter. Differential scanning calorimetry provided information on the effect of biodegradation on the evaporation enthalpy of adsorbed water from the soil, while the amount of water in the soil was also determined. Furthermore, the effect on field water holding capacity was determined and sieve analysis of individual samples was performed to characterize the effect of biodegradation on soil particle size distribution. Biodegradation conditions were shown to affect not only the rate of biodegradation but also some soil parameters. As expected, biodegradation of P3HB was proved to be faster in a nutrient-rich environment. In contrast, lack of nitrogen in soil with growing plant caused a decrease in the evaporation enthalpy of water and a reduction in the amount of water in soil, which can lead to easier soil drying and cause stress conditions for plant growth. Increased soil particle aggregation was observed in all sample series with P3HB compared to soils without P3HB addition.
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Influence of bioplastics´ biodegradation on soil quality
Paluchová, Natálie ; Doležalová Weissmannová, Helena (referee) ; Kučerík, Jiří (advisor)
V poslední době se pozornost polečnosti obrátila k mikroplastům. Jsou produkovány různými odvětvími a šíří se napříč prostředím. Po dlouhou dobu byly považovány za inertní, bez dalšího vlivu na rostliny a jiné živé organismy, avšak jak zjistily nedávné studie, mohly by představovat vážnou hrozbu. Několik vědců, včetně nás, se proto začalo soustředit na jejich transport a transformace v životním prostředí. Většina se však zaměřuje pouze na jejich přítomnost v mořských a sladkých vodách, a proto jejich chování ve vzduchu a půdě zůstává nejasné. Kromě toho byla pozornost soustředěna i na bioplasty. Jsou prezentována jako ekologická alternativa, která má vyřešit všechny dosud zmíněné problémy (a další). Avšak často se zapomíná, že jejich hlavní výhoda může být zároveň nevýhodou. Z tohoto důvodu se tato diplomová práce zaměřuje na negativní účinky spojené s přítomností mikroplastů (konkrétně bioplastu poly-(R)-3-hydroxybutyrátu) v půdě jako jejich běžný receptor. Kombinovali jsme respirometrii, elementární analýzu, termogravimetrii a enzymatické testy, abychom zkoumali fyzikálně-chemické změny v půdě vyvolané přítomností bioplastu. Naše výsledky ukázaly negativní vliv na půdní organickou hmotu a zadržování vody v půdě. V tomto smyslu byl zkoumán i tzv. "priming effect", jelikož docházelo k urychlení a také zpomalení rozkladu půdní organické hmoty. Zaznamenali jsme rozdílný vliv vybraných koncentrací biopolymeru na půdu a také vliv půdních vlastností na průběh degradace. V neposlední řadě zvýšení enzymatické aktivity jasně naznačovalo vliv přítomnosti biopolymeru na mikrobiální komunitu. Na základě takových zjištění jsme došli k závěru, že přidání biopolymeru vede k dlouhodobému dopadu na řadu funkcí půdního ekosystému.
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Pyrolytic graphite
Chýlková, Adéla ; Adam, Ondřej (referee) ; Němec, Karel (advisor)
The purpose of this bachelor thesis was to write a literature search summarizing knowledge about carbon-based materials and experimental determination of thermal expansion and thermal balance of samples of various types of graphite and evaluation of measured data. The research part of the work describes most of the currently known types of carbonaceous materials, with a more thorough study of pyrolytic graphite. The whole next chapter was devoted to a more thorough study of pyrolytic graphite. The second part of the thesis is focused on the experimental determination of thermal expansion and thermal balance on selected graphite samples (natural, expanded, pressed expanded and pyrolytic graphite). We used dilatometric analysis and thermogravimetry to solve this task. Finally, the measurement data were processed into graphs and relevant tables and conclusions were deduced.
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Development of methods for fast soil analysis
Křivánková, Zuzana ; Doležalová Weissmannová, Helena (referee) ; Kučerík, Jiří (advisor)
The submitted diploma thesis aims to extend the use of thermogravimetry for the analysis of organic C and total N contents in soils. The advantages of thermogravimetry in comparison to conventional analytical methods are that it is a versatile technique that provides fast analysis, does not require sample pretreatment and chemicals– and can be used for the analysis of various soil types. The research work performed so far showed correlations between thermogravimetric data and some soil properties. In the past, intact soils exposed to 76% relative humidity (RH) were analyzed by thermogravimetry for these purposes. However, this humidity is problematic to achieve and maintain for most thermogravimeters. Recent work has shown that correlations can be observed in agricultural land exposed to lower RH. Therefore, it can be assumed that a correlation between TG data exists in soils exposed to any RH. TG could then be used to analyze soil properties under any known RH conditions. The aim of this work was to verify this hypothesis and try to incorporate knowledge of RH into the relationships between TG and soil properties. For this reason, intact soils exposed to the relative humidity of 30, 55, and 76% were analyzed in this work. It was demonstrated the dependence between organic C content and mass loss between 320 and 330°C as well as total nitrogen content and mass loss between 410 and 420°C independently of relative humidity. Based on that knowledge, we have derived equations enabling determination of the content of organic C and total N for RH ranging 43% - 76% using mass losses and knowledge of RH. Nevertheless, due to the low number of tested RH, the equations are still only preliminary and need to be improved by analyzing soil samples at a larger number of RH.
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Analysis of biodegradable polymers in soils
Paluchová, Natálie ; Řezáčová, Veronika (referee) ; Kučerík, Jiří (advisor)
Currently, there is a growing interest in usage of biodegradable polymers, regardless of their possible risk of generation of residues. The methods that are used for determination of residues usually include pre-treatment and are expensive and time consuming. Therefore, this bachelor thesis focuses on the development and verification of analytical method that would identify and quantify of biodegradable polymer residues in soils to eliminate the problems arising from sample pre-treatment. Therefore, thermogravimetry, which appears to satisfy the above conditions, was used for the analysis. The area of polymer degradation in three types of soils during thermal oxidation and the effect of polymer on soil during the analysis was investigated. Poly(3 hydroxybutyrate) was chosen to be the representative biodegradable polymer and there were two approaches used to its detection and quatification. The methods were tested for 6 concentrations of poly(3–hydroxybutyrate) (0,1; 0,5; 1; 2; 3; 5 %). The first approach concentrated on the usage of polymer analysis in the presence of a blank (without contaminat), which was subtracted from the blank. Using this method, the temperature interval of polymer degradation and weigh loss changes in this interval were observed. The second method focused on a soil universal model, that allows the identification and quatification of samples when the blank is not present. The blank is simulated by 19 equations, that allow the identification of intervals, in which degradation of samples occurs and also it provides the possibility to determinate the type of the polymer. However, the principle component analysis indicated that the method is sensitive to the type of soil and therefore it needs adjustments. Samples were incubated for 4 months, to verify the sensitivity of the method, in case of partial or complete decomposition of samples by soil microorganisms,. Thereafter, the concentrations of poly(3-hydroxybutryrate) in soil determined by respirometry and thermogravimetry were compared. The results indicated that accelerated degradation caused by poly(3-hydroxybutrylate) or contamination of the sample with the surrounding atmosphere during respiration may have occurred. Residual poly(3–hydroxybutyrate) was thermogravimetrically verified and results were compared to respirometry. According to the results it can be observed that there was an interaction between the soil organic matter and biota or contamination of the sample with the surrounding atmosphere. The results revealed, that there is a possibility of determination of biodegradable polymers in soils by thermogravimetric analysis. There are good results using the blank method, but it is limited by the existence of a blank. The method that is using the soil universal model (without blank) has a great potential in the future, but adjustments still need to be done.
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Relationship between thermo-oxidative stability and soil quality indicators
Svatoň, Karel ; Doležalová Weissmannová, Helena (referee) ; Kučerík, Jiří (advisor)
This diploma thesis focuses on the use of thermogravimetry as quick and low-cost method in the analysis of soil quality. Most of the currently used methods for analyzing some soil properties are, unlike thermogravimetry, demanding especially for pretreatment and analysis time. Previous research has shown an interesting correlation between thermogravimetry data and some soil properties, but to obtain these correlations, it is necessary to keep the analyzed soils at 76% relative humidity. The aim of this work was to determine whether similar correlations can also by achieved at lower relative humidities. Therefore, soil samples in this work were thermogravimetrically analyzed at 43% relative humidity. That humidity is closer to laboratory conditions and it is also easier to be reached by most of commercially available thermogravimeters. Next aim of this thesis was to find whether thermogravimetric data correlate with other soil properties, especially microbiological indicators of soil quality. Results showed that thermogravimetry of soil samples correlates with standard methods even at 43% humidity. Furthermore, it was found that they also correlate with selected microbiological parameters, such as anaerobic ammonification or urease activity. These results suggest the possibility of using thermogravimetry analysis at broader spectrum of soil properties, without the need for pretreatment of samples and at different (relevant) soil moisture.
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Výzkum interakce vodíku s vakacemi, dislokacemi a hranicemi zrn v Ti
Knapp, Jan ; Čížek, Jakub (advisor) ; Vlach, Martin (referee)
This thesis deals with the system of titanium and hydrogen. Interstitial hydrogen alloys and hydrides are subject to intensive investigation, both theoretical and experimental. It has been proved, that absorbed hydrogen lowers the formation energy of defects in metals, and thus works as the so called 'defactant'. Surfactants on the surfaces of liquids lower the surface tension; defactants in solids lower the formation energy of defects. It has also been proved, that titanium absorbs hydrogen readily, when exposed to high temperature, or high pressure (fugacity); while different loading conditions lead to different features of the final sample. Beside ordinary coarse grained titanium, ultra-fine grained titanium shall be studied in present work, due to its high content of defects. Positron Annihilation Life-time Spectroscopy, a non-destructive technique sensitive on open-volume defects, shall be of prime importance in our investigation. We shall further use the X-ray diffraction, Micro-hardness measurements and Differential Scanning Calorimetry together with Thermogravimetry. Lastly, we shall strongly benefit from using existing computational tools like the Vienna ab-initio Simulation Package, or Pos330; a program for positron life--times calculations.
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Determination of moisture content in electrical insulating materials
Šebesta, Petr ; Rozsívalová, Zdenka (referee) ; Frk, Martin (advisor)
This work is based on determination of moisture content in electrical insulating materials materials and ways to measure the moisture. In the theoretical section describes the methods of thermal analysis, and subsequently described in detail Thermogravimetry method, which is used in the measurement. Measurements are made using the Moisture Analyzer RADWAG 60 W/H connected with a PC, using a variety of samples from inorganic to organic. A great variety of samples was chosen because of demonstrations thermogravimetric methods and a better understanding of wetting and drying of different materials.
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Microcalorimetric study of bacterial degradation of oil and its products
Bola, Tomáš ; Benešová, Pavla (referee) ; Krouská, Jitka (advisor)
This bachelor thesis deals with a study of the oil degradation as one of the possible products of petroleum using bacterial stems Pseudomonas Putida a Pseudomonas Chlororaphis. The work is motivated by the research of usability of a method which has not been used for those purposes so far – calorimetric analysis. Using IČ spektrometry (ATR), calorimetry and UV-VIS spectrometry was studied a degree and a character of interactions. Calorimetric analysis showed that the Pseudomonas Putida has bigger abbility of the degradability than Pseudomonas Chlororaphis. There was also detected that the optimal concentration for more effective degradation of oil fuel is 5 g/l and 20 g/l. By measurement of the absorbance deppending on time was verified that the bigger is the concentration of the sample, the higher is the resulted absorbance. Using UV-VIS analysis was determined a quantity of biomass. Using IČ spectometry in the ATR mode (reduced reflectance) was detected structure of the sample and also verified that the bacterial cultures Pseudomonas Putida and Chlororaphis degradated entire amount of petroleum.
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Analysis of rubber materials of gas masks
Koporecová, Zuzana ; Tocháček, Jiří (referee) ; Bálková, Radka (advisor)
The thesis deals with determination the type, composition and structure of rubber materials comming from gas masks produced withing sixteen years. Rubber materials were tested to determine if storage conditions could influence or caused the change in composition and/or the structure. To judge it rubber specimens were exposed to termo-oxidative aging at 75 and 105 °C for 50 ad 20 days, respectively, to obtain data for comparison. Termogravimetry Fourie-transform Infrared Spectroscopy with Attenuated Total Reflection and Differential Scanning Calorimetry were used to characterize composition/structure of tested speciments. Thermo-oxidative aging at 75 °C led to degradation of additives in both types of rubber, at 150 °C also to chemical degradation of rubber network especially in case of NR (glass transition temperature increases with aging time). Neither additives or rubber network was degraded in original rubber specimens. Deterioration of mechanical and, thus, utility properties of gass masks are not supposed any they are recommended to safe usage.
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