You are here:
DETERMINATION OF BIODEGRADABILITY KINETICS OF RCRA COMPOUNDS USINGRESPIROMETRY FOR STRUCTURE-ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIPS
Citation:
Tabak, H., R. Govind, AND S. Desai. DETERMINATION OF BIODEGRADABILITY KINETICS OF RCRA COMPOUNDS USINGRESPIROMETRY FOR STRUCTURE-ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIPS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/D-90/136 (NTIS PB90263211).
Description:
Electrolytic respirometry is attaining prominence in biodegradationstudies and is becoming one of the more suitable experimentalmethods for measuring the biodegradability and the kinetics ofbiodegradation of toxic organic compounds by the sewage, sludge andsoil microbiota and for determining substrate inhibitory effects tomicroorganisms in wastewater treatment systems. he purpose ofthis study was to obtain information on biological treatability ofthe benzene, phenol, phthalate, ketone organics and of theSuperfund CERCLA organics bearing wastes in wastewater treatmentsystems which will support the development of an EPA technicalguidance document on the discharge of the above organics to POTWs. The paper discusses the experimental design and procedural stepsfor the respirometric biodegradation and toxicity testing approachfor individual organics or specific industrial wastes at differentconcentration levels in a mineral salts medium. evelopedmulti-level protocol is presented for determination of thebiodegradability, microbial acclimation to toxic substrates andfirst order kinetic parameters of biodegradation for estimation ofthe Monod kinetic parameter of toxic organic compounds, in order tocorrelate the extent and rate of biodegradation with a predictivemodel based on chemical properties and molecular structure of thesecompounds. espirometric biodegradation/inhibition and biokineticdata are provided for representative RCRA alkyl benzene and ketoneorganics.