PARENT SESSION
16 - Oil Pollution & Biodegradation
8:00 AM to 6:30 PM, Monday, 13 May 2002
Exhibition Area

(16-14) A critical comparison of respirometric biodegradation tests based on OECD 301 and related test methods.

Strotmann, Uwe^*,1, Reuschenbach, Peter², Pagga, Udo², ¹ Fachhochschule Gelsenkirchen Univ. Applied Sciences, Gelsenkirchen, Germany² BASF Aktiengesellschaft, Ludwigshafen, Germany

ABSTRACT- Biodegradation studies of organic compounds in the aquatic environment gain important information for the final fate of chemicals in the environment and especially for risk assessment studies. Therefore, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published strategies for biodegradation tests and guidelines for the performance of these studies. The most important test group contains the tests for ready biodegradability (OECD 301). In this context, the respirometric test methods play a crucial role. Therefore, we compared the most important respirometric test method with a newly developed respirometric system. The presented data obtained with different important industrial chemicals are analysed with modern mathematical modelling tools and discussed.

Key words: Biodegradation, mathematical modelling, ready biodegradability, respirometry