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Transport and fate of diethyl phthalate in aquatic ecosystems
Author(s) -
Lewis David L.,
Holm Harvey W.,
Kollig Heinz P.,
Hall Tom L.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620030205
Subject(s) - environmental chemistry , diethyl phthalate , aquatic ecosystem , sorption , biomass (ecology) , nutrient , chemistry , phosphorus , biodegradation , dissolved organic carbon , dimethyl phthalate , nitrogen , microbial population biology , environmental science , ecology , phthalate , biology , adsorption , bacteria , organic chemistry , genetics
Sorption, alkaline hydrolysis, photolysis and microbial transformation of diethyl phthalate (DEP) were studied in a large laboratory aquatic ecosystem composed of a series of reactor tanks. Microbial transformation accounted for 95 to 99% of the rapid loss of DEP from water. First‐order rate coefficients for the loss of DEP, except in reactor tanks depleted of inorganic nutrients, were statistically constant among diverse chemical and microbial environments, suggesting a constant transformation rate per unit of colonized surface area. The diversities of reactor tank environments were substantiated by large ranges in the dissolved organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, chlorophyll, ATP and biomass measurements. Microbial transformation of DEP resulted specifically from bacterial activity, most of which was associated with aquatic microbial growth (aufwuchs) attached to submerged surfaces or suspended in streamers or mats.