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Environmental fate & pathways

Biodegradation in water and sediment: simulation tests

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Description of key information

Based on the absence of data on biodegradability simulation testing, a read-across approach with adipic acid is applied.
Adipic acid is biodegradable in surface waters and waste water treatment plants.

Key value for chemical safety assessment

Additional information

For disodium adipate no data on biodegradability simulation testing are available. Therefore, data of the corresponding acid are taken into account for assessment and a read-across approach is applied, based on the following justification. In aqueous media, disodium adipate and adipic acid acid dissociate into the corresponding anion (1,6-hexandioic acid ion) and the sodium ion and hydrogen ion (proton), respectively. Fate, behavior and the ecotoxicological properties of adipic acid and its disodium salt are thought to be an effect of the di-carboxylate ion rather than of the sodium ion or the hydrogen ion (proton), which are normal constituents in environmental systems and have no relevant ecotoxic properties in low concentrations.
Therefore a read-across between disodium adipate and adipic acid is justified.

Adipic acid is shown to be biodegradable in surface waters and waste water treatment plants.

In a modified Zahn-Wellens-Test, using surface water from the river Main (Germany), 90% of adipic acid was degraded within 8 days.

A waste water treatment simulation test was performed according to a method which is comparable to the OECD guideline 303 A ("Simulation Test - Aerobic Sewage Treatment. A: Activated Sludge Units). Sludge from a municipal sewage treatment plant was used in this test. After 1 day a DOC removal of 99% was achieved.