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Biodegradation of triethanolamine
Author(s) -
West Robert J.,
Gonsior Stanley J.
Publication year - 1996
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.5620150410
Subject(s) - triethanolamine , biodegradation , environmental chemistry , chemistry , mineralization (soil science) , activated sludge , loam , environmental science , waste management , wastewater , pulp and paper industry , environmental engineering , nitrogen , organic chemistry , soil water , analytical chemistry (journal) , soil science , engineering
Triethanolamine production in the United States exceeds 100,000 metric tons per year. Given this magnitude of production and widespread distribution to consumer product, specialty chemical, and agricultural chemical markets, an understanding of the environmental fate and lifetime of this chemical is warranted. Studies were conducted to determine the fate and lifetime of [ 14 C]triethanolamine in an aerobic surface soil, freshwater river systems, and in activated sludge waste treatment. The half‐life determined for biodegradation of triethanolamine ranged from 0.02 to 0.10 d in reactions containing 818 mg/L mixed liquor activated sludge solids from a municipal wastewater treatment facility. The half‐life of triethanolamine in a sandy loam surface soil ranged from 0.5 to 1.8 d for initial concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 13.4 mmol/kg (1.4–2,000 mg/kg dry wt). Biodegradation was also measured in two different river waters, with an average half‐life (±1 SD) of 1.2 ± 0.5 d determined for initial triethanolamine concentrations of 0.67 and 3.28 μmol/L (99 and 489 μg/L). The kinetics of both primary biodegradation and mineralization were shown to be generally first‐order in triethanolamine and biomass concentrations (second‐order overall) for the matrices and range of triethanolamine concentrations tested. When these relatively short half‐lives are related to typical chemical residence times in various environmental compartments, it can be concluded that biodegradation would prevent accumulation of triethanolamine and its associated degradation products in the environment.