Tall oil, reaction products with ethanolamine

Endpoint summary

Description of key information

Abiotic degradation; Hydrolysis

 

The test item as a whole was expected to be essentially insoluble in water. Therefore the test solution concentration required to dissolve all the components (less than half the water solubility) would be impractically low and a sufficiently sensitive analytical method was not available. The test item is a complex mixture, to which the test method is not ideally suited because each component that is unstable is likely to have its own hydrolytic rate. Furthermore, the main functional groups within the components of the test item are an ester and an amide. Although esters usually hydrolyse readily, especially in alkaline conditions, the test item components may have a significantly reduced hydrolytic rate due to them being essentially insoluble in water. The situation is similar for amides, but amides are less hydrolytically unstable than esters. There are also some amine and alcohol functional groups, which are both hydrolytically stable under environmental conditions. Overall, these issues make hydrolysis testing unfeasible and testing was not carried out using Method 111 of the OECD Guidelines for Testing of Chemicals (13 April 2004) and Method C.7 Abiotic Degradation, Hydrolysis as a Function of pH of Commission Regulation (EC) No 440/2008 of 30 May 2008.

 

Biodegradation

 

The test item was investigated using a method compatible with OECD 301B and EU Method C.4-C and attained 74 % biodegradation after 28 days and can therefore be considered to be readily biodegradable. Failure of the test item to meet the 10-day window criterion need not be taken into consideration when interpreting the results because the test item is a complex mixture and a sequential biodegradation of individual structures takes place.

 

Adsorption / desorption coefficient (Koc)

 

The adsorption coefficient of the test item has been determined to be greater than 4.27 x 10E05 with log10 Koc > 5.63 (OECD 121 and EU Method C.19).

 

Biodegradation in water, sediment and soil

 

The test item has been determined to be readily biodegradable and, in accordance with REACH Annex IX, Section 9.2.1.2, Column 2, simulation testing on ultimate degradation in surface water is not required.

 

The test item has been determined to be readily biodegradable and, in accordance with REACH Annex IX, Section 9.2.1.4, Column 2, simulation testing for substances with a high potential for adsorption to sediment is not required.

 

The test item has been determined to be readily biodegradable and, in accordance with REACH Annex IX, Section 9.2.3, Column 2, identification of degradation products is not required.

 

The test item has been determined to be readily biodegradable and, in accordance with REACH Annex IX, Section 9.2.1.3, Column 2, simulation testing for substances with a high potential for adsorption to soil is not required.

 

Further information on adsorption / desorption

 

The test item is not classified as hazardous to the environment and has been demonstrated to be readily biodegradable. As a result, and in accordance with REACH Annex IX, Section 9.3.3, Column 2, further information on adsorption/desorption is not considered relevant or necessary.

 

 

Bioaccumulation

The substance is expected to have a low potential to cross biological membranes. As the molecular weight range of the UVCB substance is >300 - 650 (average 475), is unlikely to undergo passive absorption. In addition, due to the low water solubility (0.05 mg/L) and the high partition coefficient (log Pow 6.02 - > 10), the material is expected to be highly lipophilic and more likely to partition to fat, but too hydrophobic to diffuse across biological membranes into highly aqueous environments. On this basis, the test is omitted due to the expected poor absorption.The OECD Toolbox also predicts no binding to protein for this substance.  Protein binding has been shown to contribute to the bioconcentration potential of substances in aquatic species (Fairbrother et al. 2007; Cowan-Ellsberry et al. 2008; Franke 1996; Legierse et al. 1998; Tremolada et al. 2009; Veltman et al. 2006). The test item attained 74 % biodegradation after 28 days and can therefore considered to be readily biodegradable. The physicochemical properties of the test substance, and extensive ecotoxicity studies provide strong support in determining the bioaccumulation potential (not bioaccumulative) for this substance, and therefore may substitute for the experimentation of in vivo effects.