Ecotoxicological behaviour of poorly water soluble fatty alcohol ethoxylates in freshwater environment

Siti Afida Ishak, . and Noorazah Zolkarnain, . and Razmah Ghazali, . Ecotoxicological behaviour of poorly water soluble fatty alcohol ethoxylates in freshwater environment. pp. 665-673. ISSN 1511-2780

Fatty alcohol ethoxylates (FAEO) are widely used for a wide range of applications. Due to their excessive and widespread use the ecotoxicological behaviour of FAEO in aquatic environment is crucial in managing the environmental sustainability. The objective of this study is to determine the ecotoxicology behaviour i.e. biodegradation and ecotoxicity of poorly water soluble lauryl alcohol ethoxylates (C‚�‚‚) with different ethoxylate numbers i.e. EO3 EO5 EO6 EO7 and EO10. For ecotoxicity test OECD 209 activated sludge respiration inhibition test method was used. This method was selected as a rapid screening test to identify substances that have unfavourable influence on microorganisms in sewage treatment plant and also to identify non-inhibitory concentration of test substances applicable for biodegradation test. Meanwhile the biodegradation test was performed using OECD 301C MITI (I) (Ministry of International Trade and Industry Japan) test method. The biodegradability of this surfactant was monitored for 28 days. The results of OECD 209 showed only FAEO (EO3) with a maximum concentration of 1000 mg litre- inhibited more than 50 respiration of activated sludge while other FAEO samples inhibited less than 50 after 3 hr of exposure. The 3-hr of half maximal effective concentration (EC‚‚) for FAEO (EO3) for activated sludge was 423 mg litre- while for other FAEO samples was 1000 mg litre-. The toxicity effect decreased with increasing EO number. For biodegradation test the results indicated that FAEO were readily biodegraded in OECD 301C where their biodegradability surpassed the 60 pass level as stated in the standard method and can be considered as readily biodegradable in the environment. As the EO chain length increased the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) of FAEO tended to increase while the hydrophobicity tended to decrease. The reduction in hydrophobicity level increases its solubility in water thus promotes rapid biodegradation in aquatic environment.

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Abstract

Fatty alcohol ethoxylates (FAEO) are widely used for a wide range of applications. Due to their excessive and widespread use the ecotoxicological behaviour of FAEO in aquatic environment is crucial in managing the environmental sustainability. The objective of this study is to determine the ecotoxicology behaviour i.e. biodegradation and ecotoxicity of poorly water soluble lauryl alcohol ethoxylates (C‚�‚‚) with different ethoxylate numbers i.e. EO3 EO5 EO6 EO7 and EO10. For ecotoxicity test OECD 209 activated sludge respiration inhibition test method was used. This method was selected as a rapid screening test to identify substances that have unfavourable influence on microorganisms in sewage treatment plant and also to identify non-inhibitory concentration of test substances applicable for biodegradation test. Meanwhile the biodegradation test was performed using OECD 301C MITI (I) (Ministry of International Trade and Industry Japan) test method. The biodegradability of this surfactant was monitored for 28 days. The results of OECD 209 showed only FAEO (EO3) with a maximum concentration of 1000 mg litre- inhibited more than 50 respiration of activated sludge while other FAEO samples inhibited less than 50 after 3 hr of exposure. The 3-hr of half maximal effective concentration (EC‚‚) for FAEO (EO3) for activated sludge was 423 mg litre- while for other FAEO samples was 1000 mg litre-. The toxicity effect decreased with increasing EO number. For biodegradation test the results indicated that FAEO were readily biodegraded in OECD 301C where their biodegradability surpassed the 60 pass level as stated in the standard method and can be considered as readily biodegradable in the environment. As the EO chain length increased the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) of FAEO tended to increase while the hydrophobicity tended to decrease. The reduction in hydrophobicity level increases its solubility in water thus promotes rapid biodegradation in aquatic environment.

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Item Type:	Article
AGROVOC Term:	Freshwater ecology
AGROVOC Term:	Fatty alcohols
AGROVOC Term:	Ecotoxicology
AGROVOC Term:	Ecotoxicity
AGROVOC Term:	Activated sludge
AGROVOC Term:	Surfactants
AGROVOC Term:	Hydrophobicity
AGROVOC Term:	Solubility
AGROVOC Term:	Biodegradation
AGROVOC Term:	Aquatic environment
Depositing User:	Mr. AFANDI ABDUL MALEK
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 00:55
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/9483

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