Bio-oxidation of tripropylene glycol under aerobic conditions.
Aerobic biodegradation of tripropylene glycol (PG3) was investigated under the conditions of the OECD screening test 301E and the Continuous Flow Activated Sludge Simulation test (CFAS). A modified two-chamber facility with a denitrification stage was used for the CFAS test. Primary PG3 biodegradation was measured by the HPLC with fluorimetric detection and analyte derivatisation. Metabolites were identified by LC-MS with electrospray ionisation and GC-MS with electron impact ionisation, as well as semiquantitatively determined by the LC-MS technique. PG3 was found to be inherently biodegradable and it exhibits a strong poisonous effect on activated sludge after exceeding the threshold concentration (10 mg l(-1)). Metabolite accumulation onto the activated sludge is probably responsible for this poisonous effect. Probable biotransformation products of tripropylene glycol under the aerobic conditions include metabolites with a single terminal aldehyde or a ketone group and metabolites with two terminal aldehyde or ketone groups. Their concentration rises at the end of the OECD screening test.
Zgoła-Grześkowiak
Agnieszka
A
Institute of Chemistry, Poznan University of Technology, Piotrowo 3, Poznan 60-965, Poland.
Grześkowiak
Tomasz
T
Zembrzuska
Joanna
J
Frańska
Magdalena
M
Frański
Rafał
R
Lukaszewski
Zenon
Z
D000332:Aerobiosis; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011409:Propylene Glycols / Q000378:metabolism*; D012722:Sewage
D011409:Propylene Glycols; D012722:Sewage; C578961:tripropylene glycol