Biodegradation of mono-alkyl phthalate esters in natural sediments

Mono-alkyl phthalate esters (MPEs) are primary metabolites of di-alkyl phthalate esters (DPEs), a family of industrial chemicals widely used in the production of soft polyvinyl chloride and a large range of other products. To better understand the long term fate of DPEs in the environment, we measur...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemosphere (Oxford) 2008-05, Vol.71 (11), p.2011-2016
Main Authors: Otton, S. Victoria, Sura, Srinivas, Blair, Joel, Ikonomou, Michael G., Gobas, Frank A.P.C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Biodegradation, Environmental
Biological and physicochemical properties of pollutants. Interaction in the soil
Canada
Degradation
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics
Environmental persistence
Esters
Exact sciences and technology
Geologic Sediments - chemistry
Geologic Sediments - microbiology
Kinetics
Lag phase
Phthalate monoester
Phthalic Acids - chemistry
Phthalic Acids - metabolism
Pollution
Pollution, environment geology
Sediment
Soil and sediments pollution
Water Microbiology
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Summary:Mono-alkyl phthalate esters (MPEs) are primary metabolites of di-alkyl phthalate esters (DPEs), a family of industrial chemicals widely used in the production of soft polyvinyl chloride and a large range of other products. To better understand the long term fate of DPEs in the environment, we measured the biodegradation kinetics of eight MPEs (-ethyl, -n-butyl, -benzyl, -i-hexyl, -2-ethyl-hexyl, -n-octyl, -i-nonyl, and -i-decyl monoesters) in marine and freshwater sediments collected from three locations in the Greater Vancouver area. After a lag period in which no apparent biodegradation occurred, all MPEs tested showed degradation rates in both marine and freshwater sediments at 22°C with half-lives ranging between 16 and 39h. Half-lives increased approximately 8-fold in incubations performed at 5°C. Biodegradation rates did not differ between marine and freshwater sediments. Half-lives did not show a relationship with increasing alkyl chain length. We conclude that MPEs can be quickly degraded in natural sediments and that the similarity in MPE degradation kinetics among sediment types suggests a wide occurrence of nonspecific esterases in microorganisms from various locations, as has been reported previously.
ISSN:0045-6535
1879-1298
DOI:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.01.059