Alkyds from red silk-cotton (Bombax ceiba) seed oil and investigation on their microbial degradation

The vegetable oils are being increasingly used for the synthesis of several types of polymers. In the present study red silk-cotton (Bombax ceiba) seed oil was used to synthesize alkyds which were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic studies. The physico-chemical properties such as colour, acid value, free fatty acid content and iodine value of the alkyds were evaluated. The coating performance of the cured films was tested by measuring chemical resistance, thermal stability, pencil hardness, gloss and adhesion. Subsequently microbial degradation studies of the alkyds were done using Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC1934) and Bacillus subtilis (MTCC1305) strains and the results indicated substantial degradation in each case.