Screening methods for assessment of biodegradability of chemicals in seawater--results from a ring test

Journal Article · Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1992 · Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0147-6513(92)90056-9· OSTI ID:5324298

Nyholm, N; Kristensen, P ^[1]

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1. Water Quality Institute, Horsholm, (Denmark)

An international ring test involving 14 laboratories was organized on behalf of the Commission of the European Economic Communities (EEC) with the purpose of evaluating two proposed screening methods for assessment of biodegradability in seawater: (a) a shake flask die-away test based primarily on analysis of dissolved organic carbon and (b) a closed bottle test based on determination of dissolved oxygen. Both tests are performed with nutrient-enriched natural seawater as the test medium and with no inoculum added other than the natural seawater microflora. The test methods are seawater versions of the modified OECD screening test and the closed bottle test, respectively, adopted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and by the EEC as tests for ready biodegradability.' The following five chemicals were examined: sodium benzoate, aniline, diethylene glycol, pentaerythritol, and 4-nitrophenol. Sodium benzoate and aniline, which are known to be generally readily biodegradable consistently degraded in practically all tests, thus demonstrating the technical feasibility of the methods. Like in previous ring tests with freshwater screening methods variable results were obtained with the other three compounds, which is believed primarily to be due to site-specific differences between the microflora of the different seawater samples used and to some extent also to differences in the applied concentrations of test material. A positive result with the screening methods indicates that the test substance will most likely degrade relatively rapidly in seawater from the site of collection, while a negative test result does not preclude biodegradability under environmental conditions where the concentrations of chemicals are much lower than the concentrations applied for analytical reasons in screening tests.

• OSTI ID: 5324298
• Journal Information: Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety; (United States), Vol. 23:2; ISSN 0147-6513
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANILINE
BIODEGRADATION
BENZOIC ACID
GLYCOLS
NITROPHENOL
PETN
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
INTERLABORATORY COMPARISONS
MEASURING METHODS
SEAWATER
WATER POLLUTION
ALCOHOLS
AMINES
AROMATICS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHEMICAL EXPLOSIVES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
ESTERS
EXPLOSIVES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
MONOCARBOXYLIC ACIDS
NITRATES
NITRIC ACID ESTERS
NITRO COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHENOLS
POLLUTION
WATER
540320* - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology