R5 AM Perflourochemical Biodegradation, Fate, and Transport
Thursday, 17 November 2005: 8:00 AM - 11:40 AM in 321-323

(WAN-1117-037677) Microbial Biotransformation Pathways of 8-2 Fluorotelomer Alcohol (FTOH).

Wang, N¹, Szostek, B², Buck, R³, Folsom, P¹, Powley, C², Berti, W¹, ¹ DuPont Central Research and Development, Newark, DE, USA² DuPont Haskell Laboratory, Newark, DE, USA³ DuPont Chemical Solutions Enterprise, Wilmington, DE, USA

ABSTRACT- The fluorotelomer raw material intermediate 8-2 Telomer B Alcohol [CF₃(CF₂)₇CH₂CH₂OH; 8-2 FTOH ] is a principal raw material used to manufacture fluorotelomer-based products. If a fluorotelomer-based product were biodegradable in the environment, the 8-2 FTOH would be an expected initial degradation product, which may be subsequently transformed in the environment. We have investigated the biotransformation of ¹⁴C-labeled 8-2 FTOH [CF₃(CF₂)₆¹⁴CF₂CH₂CH₂OH] by soil, activated sludge, sediment, and mixed bacterial culture over a period up to 7-month to determine the pathways of biotransformation in these matrices. We have found that the 8-2 FTOH can be readily transformed by microorganisms. The experimental methods, observed stable and transient transformation products, and proposed biotransformation pathways will be presented. In all studies, biodegradation to form products with less than eight carbons has been observed. The implications of these results in relation to the potential contribution of FTOH raw materials and fluorotelomer-based polymeric products to the presence of perfluorinated carboxylic acids in the environment will also be discussed.

Key words: Fluorotelomer Alcohol, FTOH, Perfluorinated carboxylic acids, Biotransformation