ABSTRACT
The effect of polyamine addition on biocomposite based on natural fiber and foamed polymeric matrix, which was used to support microorganisms for degradation of toluene, was investigated. The synthesized biocomposites was able to adsorb toluene in a very short period of time (1 day). The molecular weight of polyamine had a slight effect on toluene adsorption process, being the lower molecular weight more favorable for such process. The biocomposite without polyamine had a dramatic improvement for adsorption and biodegradation of toluene comparative with biocomposites with polyamines. The adsorption was very fast and biodegradation takes place in a slightly more effective way than adsorption. In the case of this biocomposite with microorganisms but without polyamine, CO2 concentration was 390% higher than biocomposites with polyamine due to the higher degradation of toluene.
