TP20 Ecological Risk Assessment
Tuesday, 15 November 2005: 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM in Exhibit Hall

(EAD-1116-606924) Monitoring of environmental fingerprints of alcohol ethoxylates in Europe and Canada.

Eadsforth, Charles¹, Sherren, Andrew¹, Selby, Martin ¹, Toy, Robin², Eckhoff, William³, McAvoy, Drew³, Matthijs, Eddy⁴, ¹ Shell Global Solutions (UK), Chester, UK² Shell Chemicals Ltd., London, UK³ The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, USA⁴ N.V. Procter & Gamble Eurocor S.A., Strombeek-Bever, Belgium

ABSTRACT- Recent improvements in methodology for the determination of alcohol ethoxylates (AE) in effluents now enable measurement of the full range of AE components, at ng/L levels, in the same analysis. This approach was deployed in effluent monitoring of biofilm and activated sludge waste water treatment plants from Europe (n=12) and Canada (n=8) receiving predominantly municipal effluent. Individual component or 'environmental fingerprint' analysis for alkyl carbon numbers C₁₂-C₁₈ and ethoxylate numbers 0-18 was conducted using a derivatisation procedure with LC/MS determination. The AE results were very similar with an overall mean level of 5.7 ug/L (range 1.0 - 22.7 ug/L). The major contribution to the total AE content was from fatty alcohol, which constituted, on average, 43% of the total. The exposure data can then be corrected to account for alcohol derived from sources other than AE and for sorption to particulate matter to determine AE concentrations in undiluted effluents. These data can then be used with site-specific dilution information to estimate river water exposure in mixing zones and then to determine aquatic risk by integrating normalised AE effect concentrations determined through quantitative structure activity relationships (QSARs).

Key words: alcohol ethoxylates, environmental fingerprints, monitoring, effluents