From elastomer microstructure to thermomechanically damaged nanocomposites: an insight into the parameters influencing the biodegradability of rubbers by natural microbial consortia

From elastomer microstructure to thermomechanically damaged nanocomposites: an insight into the parameters influencing the biodegradability of rubbers by natural microbial consortia | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article From elastomer microstructure to thermomechanically damaged nanocomposites: an insight into the parameters influencing the biodegradability of rubbers by natural microbial consortia Ehlinger Violaine, Tchoufag Joël, Dronet Séverin, Malosse Lucie This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7824876/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Tire and road wear particles (TRWP) have raised questions about their environmental fate, and there is a particular lack of knowledge regarding their biodegradability. Recent studies suggest their persistence beyond 2 years in soil or water. Conversely, several microbial strains have been shown to be able to metabolize poly( cis -1,4-isoprene), largely used in tire tread compositions and other rubber goods. To understand how microbial degradation evolves when transitioning from pure poly( cis -1,4-isoprene) to TRWP, the mineralization of various elastomers and model materials was evaluated over several weeks using standardized biodegradation tests in soil, compost, and aqueous environments. CO 2 release monitoring showed that pure poly( cis -1,4-isoprene) reached 50% (%ThCO 2 ) mineralization in 1 year in soil, versus approximately 50 days in sludge-inoculated water and compost. No difference was observed between natural (NR) and synthetic poly( cis -1,4-isoprene) (IR). However, poly( cis -1,4-butadiene) (BR) and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) were more recalcitrant over the investigated period. Similarly, non-stereospecific polyisoprene showed limited biodegradability compared to the stereospecific cis grade. The mineralization of an IR/BR mix was commensurate with the proportion of IR, suggesting the absence of cometabolic mineralization of BR in the presence of IR. The mineralization of a non-crosslinked NR filled with 5%vol carbon black was unaffected, whereas a two-fold reduction was observed after 45 days with 20%vol carbon black or silica. Thermomechanical wearing of a carbon black filled vulcanized IR was shown to increase the mineralization level of the composite, likely due to chain scission and devulcanization. Polymer Science Biomaterials General Microbiology Materials Chemistry Biodegradation Elastomers Rubber Nanocomposites Tire and road wear particles Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare potential competing interests as follows: Financial interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: the authors are all employees of the Manufacture Française des Pneumatiques Michelin, France and some of them own shares in the company. Non-financial interests: none. Supplementary Files ESM1.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7824876","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":527549873,"identity":"f0ae833e-2b34-4a83-a0b9-cea389d044e4","order_by":0,"name":"Ehlinger Violaine","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Manufacture française des pneumatiques Michelin","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ehlinger","middleName":"","lastName":"Violaine","suffix":""},{"id":527549874,"identity":"edfe6fb7-b29f-41ec-b5c3-ec539f671aed","order_by":1,"name":"Tchoufag Joël","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Manufacture française des pneumatiques Michelin","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Tchoufag","middleName":"","lastName":"Joël","suffix":""},{"id":527549875,"identity":"b4c2ddcc-d795-49a1-92cf-d4d6f966ef68","order_by":2,"name":"Dronet Séverin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Manufacture française des pneumatiques Michelin","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dronet","middleName":"","lastName":"Séverin","suffix":""},{"id":527549876,"identity":"45581a8e-2e3a-4db0-9c20-afe28b543a18","order_by":3,"name":"Malosse Lucie","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABA0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACPiA+AGMwMFQw8DBIMDAeSMCjhQ2mhQ3MPQPWwkBQC4LB2AYkJKCG4NQikfzwwAeGbfJs7O2PP3yct02Gf3bzgQMPdzDI84th18kmkWZwcAbDbcM2njNmkjO33eaRuHMs4UDiGQbDmbOxO49NIofhMA/DbcY2iRw2Zl6gFgOJHIMDiW0MCQa38Wj5w3Dbvk0i/fHnv3NAWvI/ENbCwHA7sU0iwUCasQFsCwN+LTzPDA72GNxOBvul5xjQLzfSQA6TwOkXfvbkxx9+VNy27QeF2I+a2/b8M5IfPvzZZiPPL41dCwQYYApJ4FE+CkbBKBgFo4AQAADZ516+wi/ONQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4484-9631","institution":"Manufacture française des pneumatiques Michelin","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Malosse","middleName":"","lastName":"Lucie","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-10-10 08:59:53","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":true,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7824876/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7824876/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":93382118,"identity":"55bccfde-5b6e-49ce-b2d6-4f1059740637","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 09:03:03","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":4709128,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ManuscriptEhlingeretal.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7824876/v1/8818bdb69608b59437ec3d09.docx"},{"id":93381810,"identity":"5a7e0f22-31f3-4fb9-a10e-d3511b802389","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 08:55:03","extension":"json","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":342,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"rs7824876.json","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7824876/v1/c5f026af524f80073bf831af.json"},{"id":93381811,"identity":"30854685-e2f2-4a64-95d8-404279328240","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 08:55:03","extension":"xml","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":145611,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"rs78248760enriched.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7824876/v1/bcbc0690857aa27282492fd4.xml"},{"id":93383499,"identity":"dd7552a8-9b4e-49d0-a9e7-b758750a25c1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 09:11:03","extension":"jpeg","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":2550206,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7824876/v1/5e25cceba2a8fc88ae176717.jpeg"},{"id":93381813,"identity":"2f02483b-431c-424e-a6b1-43ed3b5b4d23","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 08:55:03","extension":"jpeg","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":507790,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage2.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7824876/v1/160760b7cade75f291f2cde8.jpeg"},{"id":93381820,"identity":"6451f94c-3d60-45c5-91b4-8247b3ead445","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 08:55:03","extension":"jpeg","order_by":5,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":507790,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage3.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7824876/v1/a54edbdd67e57b52c6d5348c.jpeg"},{"id":93381822,"identity":"a279b229-8c43-474d-b325-b06d31b01354","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 08:55:03","extension":"jpeg","order_by":6,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":507790,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage4.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7824876/v1/4f2c6b30a9dc6cd9d7b46685.jpeg"},{"id":93381823,"identity":"e08a72a4-ca33-4ba1-b864-c30c5c9ecc1e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 08:55:03","extension":"jpeg","order_by":7,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":507790,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage5.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7824876/v1/372e06417ab6b05df4c6e305.jpeg"},{"id":93382116,"identity":"f344d69b-5daf-4971-b577-7c724a4de0db","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 09:03:03","extension":"png","order_by":8,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":37269,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7824876/v1/fe51eacaf4791fe8e6deda03.png"},{"id":93382120,"identity":"c33a4ba4-9374-4259-bfeb-6745f4e1c5d4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 09:03:03","extension":"png","order_by":9,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":9719,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7824876/v1/4438a75f4b2c4f43a1333e41.png"},{"id":93381818,"identity":"7c694e07-ff82-4b6d-9b4e-7cf07120241a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 08:55:03","extension":"png","order_by":10,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":11133,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7824876/v1/a43ce7d3ec275445630d2ae6.png"},{"id":93382119,"identity":"31de30ba-6550-4b84-a424-61ec3262c747","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 09:03:03","extension":"png","order_by":11,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":10952,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7824876/v1/a40a3399af6b49c42ec058b7.png"},{"id":93381814,"identity":"cb818b72-82aa-47bf-806b-731b13992f78","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 08:55:03","extension":"png","order_by":12,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":9133,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7824876/v1/6534170fbc3ebd2bcd3336f3.png"},{"id":93382121,"identity":"66dd9ac3-c9f5-4105-8eca-804f78ebc801","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 09:03:03","extension":"xml","order_by":13,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":143521,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"rs78248760structuring.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7824876/v1/ab21c1121ac0bb834955f8b3.xml"},{"id":93381825,"identity":"0f23272e-2acc-454b-9319-ae5ca82a85e0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 08:55:03","extension":"html","order_by":14,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":156701,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"earlyproof.html","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7824876/v1/ab31d48485e63025dfdb0b86.html"},{"id":93384103,"identity":"5d3f207e-e168-4d71-b268-0c4247c41921","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 09:19:06","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":661301,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ManuscriptEhlingeretal.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7824876/v1_covered_52aa8e90-6763-47fa-be4a-2aeccfba6f94.pdf"},{"id":93382115,"identity":"9f24c812-55be-4a61-99d9-cab9071517a5","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 09:03:03","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":344268,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ESM1.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7824876/v1/f75662ab1c2e6ea336339b73.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare potential competing interests as follows: Financial interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: the authors are all employees of the Manufacture Française des Pneumatiques Michelin, France and some of them own shares in the company. Non-financial interests: none.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eFrom elastomer microstructure to thermomechanically damaged nanocomposites: an insight into the parameters influencing the biodegradability of rubbers by natural microbial consortia\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Michelin (France)","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Biodegradation, Elastomers, Rubber, Nanocomposites, Tire and road wear particles","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7824876/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7824876/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eTire and road wear particles (TRWP) have raised questions about their environmental fate, and there is a particular lack of knowledge regarding their biodegradability. Recent studies suggest their persistence beyond 2 years in soil or water. Conversely, several microbial strains have been shown to be able to metabolize poly(\u003cem\u003ecis\u003c/em\u003e-1,4-isoprene), largely used in tire tread compositions and other rubber goods. To understand how microbial degradation evolves when transitioning from pure poly(\u003cem\u003ecis\u003c/em\u003e-1,4-isoprene) to TRWP, the mineralization of various elastomers and model materials was evaluated over several weeks using standardized biodegradation tests in soil, compost, and aqueous environments. CO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e release monitoring showed that pure poly(\u003cem\u003ecis\u003c/em\u003e-1,4-isoprene) reached 50% (%ThCO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e) mineralization in 1 year in soil, \u003cem\u003eversus\u003c/em\u003e approximately 50 days in sludge-inoculated water and compost. No difference was observed between natural (NR) and synthetic poly(\u003cem\u003ecis\u003c/em\u003e-1,4-isoprene) (IR). However, poly(\u003cem\u003ecis\u003c/em\u003e-1,4-butadiene) (BR) and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) were more recalcitrant over the investigated period. Similarly, non-stereospecific polyisoprene showed limited biodegradability compared to the stereospecific \u003cem\u003ecis\u003c/em\u003e grade. The mineralization of an IR/BR mix was commensurate with the proportion of IR, suggesting the absence of cometabolic mineralization of BR in the presence of IR. The mineralization of a non-crosslinked NR filled with 5%vol carbon black was unaffected, whereas a two-fold reduction was observed after 45 days with 20%vol carbon black or silica. Thermomechanical wearing of a carbon black filled vulcanized IR was shown to increase the mineralization level of the composite, likely due to chain scission and devulcanization.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"From elastomer microstructure to thermomechanically damaged nanocomposites: an insight into the parameters influencing the biodegradability of rubbers by natural microbial consortia","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-10-13 08:54:58","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7824876/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"5c555f1f-8d5b-405c-86b7-46e89b90a7fc","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 13th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":56076238,"name":"Polymer Science"},{"id":56076239,"name":"Biomaterials"},{"id":56076240,"name":"General Microbiology"},{"id":56076241,"name":"Materials Chemistry"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-10-13T08:54:58+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-10-13 08:54:58","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7824876","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7824876","identity":"rs-7824876","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}