PARENT SESSION
3D Biodegradation and biotransformation: routes and pathways
9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday, 07 May 2001

(M/EH069) Biodegradation of AHTN and HHCB in a sewage treatment plant.

Artola-Garicano, Elsa¹, Damen, Kay¹, Borkent, Iris¹, Vaes, Wouter², Hermens, Joop¹, ^{1 2}

ABSTRACT- AHTN and HHCB are polycyclic musks which are present in many house cleaning-products. These chemicals finally will end up in the sewage treatment plants (STP). The removal of a chemical in a STP can be due to degradation as well as sorption. In biodegradation studies, it has been assumed that only the freely available fraction can be biodegraded. In the present study, the biodegradation rates of AHTN and HHCB were determined by simulating the aeration tank in the STP. In order to study the influence of sorption on the biodegradation, freely dissolved concentration as well as total concentration of AHTN and HHCB were measured during the degradation experiment. Experiments were performed with sludge from a STP as well as spiked sludge samples. The results are used to determine the rate limiting step in the degradation process.

Key words: biodegradation, musk compounds, spme, sludge