Abstract
An acclimated shake flask CO2 evolution test was used to study the biodegradability of 14 commercial phthalate esters that are commonly used as plasticizers. Both CO2 evolution (ultimate biodegradation) and loss of parent phthalate esters (primary biodegradation) were measured. With only a few exceptions, primary biodegradation was 90% or higher, and ultimate biodegradation was in excess of 55% of theoretical results in 28 days. The results showed that all of the commercial phthalate esters were susceptible to biodegradation by mixed populations of microorganisms from natural sources. The results also provide considerable insight into the utility and reproducibility of a standard biodegradation test that is being recommended for widespread screening of chemicals.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Gledhill W. E. Screening test for assessment of ultimate biodegradability: linear alkylbenzene sulfonates. Appl Microbiol. 1975 Dec;30(6):922–929. doi: 10.1128/am.30.6.922-929.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Graham P. R. Phthalate ester plasticizers--why and how they are used. Environ Health Perspect. 1973 Jan;3:3–12. doi: 10.1289/ehp.73033. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Larson R. J. Estimation of biodegradation potential of xenobiotic organic chemicals. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1979 Dec;38(6):1153–1161. doi: 10.1128/aem.38.6.1153-1161.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Rubin H. E., Subba-Rao R. V., Alexander M. Rates of mineralization of trace concentrations of aromatic compounds in lake water and sewage samples. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1982 May;43(5):1133–1138. doi: 10.1128/aem.43.5.1133-1138.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Saeger V. W., Tucker E. S. Biodegradation of phthalic acid esters in river water and activated sludge. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1976 Jan;31(1):29–34. doi: 10.1128/aem.31.1.29-34.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]