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DETERMINATION OF BIOACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL FRACTIONS OF LIQUID WASTES USING FRESHWATER AND SALTWATER ALGAE AND CRUSTACEANS
Citation:
Walsh, G. AND R. Garnes. DETERMINATION OF BIOACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL FRACTIONS OF LIQUID WASTES USING FRESHWATER AND SALTWATER ALGAE AND CRUSTACEANS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-83/023 (NTIS PB83231464).
Description:
A method is described for analysis of complex industrial and municipal wastes. The method uses chemical fractionation and subfractionation combined with laboratory toxicity tests on marine and freshwater algae and crustaceans to determine toxicity of whole waste and to identify its toxic components. Endpoints are stimulation or inhibition of algal population growth and death of crustaceans. Algae are particularly good indicators of bioactivity, often reacting to growth stimulants at low concentrations (less than 0.1%) and to toxicants at higher concentrations in a single waste. Effects of bioactive substances may be suppressed by other bioactive substances, and fractionation often reveals effects not found in tests with raw waste. After identification of toxic fractions and subfractions, production and treatment systems can be modified to eliminate specific toxicants, thus saving the considerable cost of whole waste treatment.