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Assessing the aquatic hazard of some branched and linear nonionic surfactants by biodegradation and toxicity
Author(s) -
Dorn Philip B.,
Salanitro Joseph P.,
Evans Sharon H.,
Kravetz Louis
Publication year - 1993
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.5620121002
Subject(s) - effluent , aquatic toxicology , toxicity , environmental chemistry , daphnia magna , pimephales promelas , chemistry , acute toxicity , biodegradation , bioassay , chronic toxicity , daphnia , toxicology , chromatography , biology , minnow , environmental engineering , organic chemistry , environmental science , ecology , fish <actinopterygii> , zooplankton , fishery
An aquatic hazard assessment was conducted for branched and linear nonionic surfactants using toxicity and biodegradation measurements. Four nonionic alcohol ethoxylate surfactants with different degrees of branching (ranging from 0.1, essentially linear, to 4.0 internal methyl groups per hydrophobe) were evaluated for neat surfactant toxicity, degradation in laboratory sewage treatment units, and aquatic toxicity of treated effluents. Acute testing with neat surfactants showed ranges for EC50s of 1.3 to 11.6 mg/L for Daphnia , 1.6 to 6.1 mg/L for Pimephales promelas (fathead minnow), and 1.5 to 11.4 mg/L for Microtox®. Chronic testing of algae showed NOECs of 1 to 10 mg/L and maximum acceptable toxicant concentrations (MATCs) of 0.8 to 14.2 mg/L. Seven‐day chronic estimation tests showed MATCs of 0.6 to 41.4 mg/L for Pimephales promelas and 1 to 14 mg/L for Daphnia . Effluents collected from treatment units receiving a 50‐mg/L surfactant feed at 25°C showed no acute toxicity to either Daphnia or fathead minnows, with the exception of a unit containing nonylphenol ethoxylate. Chronic effluent toxicity was greatest in effluent from the nonyl‐phenol ethoxylate unit and least in the effluent from the linear alcohol ethoxylate unit. Chronic toxicity of the highly branched C 13 alcohol ethoxylate effluent was greater than that for the linear alcohol ethoxylate unit effluent.