Registration Dossier

Data platform availability banner - registered substances factsheets

Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.

The new ECHA CHEM database has been released by ECHA, and it now contains all REACH registration data. There are more details on the transition of ECHA's published data to ECHA CHEM here.

Diss Factsheets

Environmental fate & pathways

Biodegradation in water: screening tests

Currently viewing:

Administrative data

Link to relevant study record(s)

Description of key information

readily biodegradable

Key value for chemical safety assessment

Biodegradation in water:
readily biodegradable

Additional information

The biodegradability order is castor oil > fish oil > rape oil > mineral oil. In degradation kinetics studies (Luo et al 2010) the degradation rate constant (k) of sulphated castor oil, fish oil and rape oil are 0.87, 0.84, and 0.81 d-1, respectively. These degradation rate constants are slightly faster for the sulfited fatliquor substances where castor, fish and rape were 0.95, 0.93, and 0.85 d-1, respectively.). The higher content of unsaturated fatty acids and hydroxyl groups, the faster is the biodegradability of fatliquors.

A 1976 aerobic biodegradation study with the sodium salt of sulfated castor oil (CAS 68187-76-8) in an activated sludge inoculated system, documented DOC removal consistent with 96% biodegradation in 45 days. For this dossier, the sulfited fat liquors are used as a point of read across for the chemically similar sulfated fat liquors as there are more endpoint data for the sulfited fat liquors.