Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Biodegradacion
Biodegradation is the process by which microorganisms in the environment convert
complex materials into simpler compounds that are used as food for energy and
growth. Biodegradation of the surfactants used in detergents is important because of
the large volumes used worldwide and, of course, the detrimental toxic effects on the
aqueous and soil environments.
Biodegradation is a multistep process that starts with the transformation of the
parent compound into a first degradation product (primary degradation) and leading,
ultimately, to mineralization products (carbon dioxide, water) and bacterial biomass
(ultimate or total degradation). A typical surfactant biodegradation is illustrated by the linear
alkylbenzenesulfonate (LAS) biodegradation path in Figure A good understating of past and
present biodegradation issues requires precise definitions of biodegradability terms
[5,10,11].
Primary biodegradability is the change in the chemical structure of an organic
substance, resulting from a biological action that causes the loss of the specific
chemical and physical properties of the substance. When this stage of
biodegradation is reached, the remaining material is no longer a surfactant;
it no longer has any surface-active properties, including the ability to foam.
Ultimate biodegradability in the presence of oxygen (aerobic conditions) represents