Registration Dossier
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EC number: 200-001-8 | CAS number: 50-00-0
- Life Cycle description
- Uses advised against
- Endpoint summary
- Appearance / physical state / colour
- Melting point / freezing point
- Boiling point
- Density
- Particle size distribution (Granulometry)
- Vapour pressure
- Partition coefficient
- Water solubility
- Solubility in organic solvents / fat solubility
- Surface tension
- Flash point
- Auto flammability
- Flammability
- Explosiveness
- Oxidising properties
- Oxidation reduction potential
- Stability in organic solvents and identity of relevant degradation products
- Storage stability and reactivity towards container material
- Stability: thermal, sunlight, metals
- pH
- Dissociation constant
- Viscosity
- Additional physico-chemical information
- Additional physico-chemical properties of nanomaterials
- Nanomaterial agglomeration / aggregation
- Nanomaterial crystalline phase
- Nanomaterial crystallite and grain size
- Nanomaterial aspect ratio / shape
- Nanomaterial specific surface area
- Nanomaterial Zeta potential
- Nanomaterial surface chemistry
- Nanomaterial dustiness
- Nanomaterial porosity
- Nanomaterial pour density
- Nanomaterial photocatalytic activity
- Nanomaterial radical formation potential
- Nanomaterial catalytic activity
- Endpoint summary
- Stability
- Biodegradation
- Bioaccumulation
- Transport and distribution
- Environmental data
- Additional information on environmental fate and behaviour
- Ecotoxicological Summary
- Aquatic toxicity
- Endpoint summary
- Short-term toxicity to fish
- Long-term toxicity to fish
- Short-term toxicity to aquatic invertebrates
- Long-term toxicity to aquatic invertebrates
- Toxicity to aquatic algae and cyanobacteria
- Toxicity to aquatic plants other than algae
- Toxicity to microorganisms
- Endocrine disrupter testing in aquatic vertebrates – in vivo
- Toxicity to other aquatic organisms
- Sediment toxicity
- Terrestrial toxicity
- Biological effects monitoring
- Biotransformation and kinetics
- Additional ecotoxological information
- Toxicological Summary
- Toxicokinetics, metabolism and distribution
- Acute Toxicity
- Irritation / corrosion
- Sensitisation
- Repeated dose toxicity
- Genetic toxicity
- Carcinogenicity
- Toxicity to reproduction
- Specific investigations
- Exposure related observations in humans
- Toxic effects on livestock and pets
- Additional toxicological data

Biodegradation in water and sediment: simulation tests
Administrative data
Link to relevant study record(s)
Description of key information
Key value for chemical safety assessment
Additional information
According to REACH Annex IX a simulation test on degradation in surface water is not necessary if the compound is readily biodegradable. Formaldehyde is classified to be readily degradable.
The removal of formaldehyde in biological sewage treatment plants was studied in a lab-scale activated sludge unit (Eiroa et al., 2005). The test is comparable to OECD 303 A (Confirmatory Test). During the operation period of 160 days the influent concentrations were increased stepwise from 26 to 3168 mg/L. Removal of formaldehyde was calculated based on substance-specific and COD measurements. During the operation period, formaldehyde concentrations increased slightly when the influent concentrations were increased. Based on substance-specific measurements, high removal efficiencies of around 99.5% were maintained at all influent concentrations. However, ca. 18% of influent COD was present in effluent. The relative high COD content in the effluent can be explained by disproportionation of formaldehyde to methanol and formic acid. It was shown in previous experiments that degradation of methanol and formic acid began after exhaustion of formaldehyde in the medium. In the unit, ammonium was removed around 99.9%, indicating that there was no inhibition of nitrification. The hydraulic retention time (2.4 days) in the test unit is above the value (6 hours) proposed by the OECD guideline 303 A. Therefore, the resulting removal rate is assumed to probably overestimate removal in biological treatment plants.
In conclusion, in the wwtp simulation tests formaldehyde was removed to 99.5% under aerobic conditions.
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