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Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.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

Endpoint summary

Administrative data

Description of key information

Additional information

According to several reliable studies, acetone is readily biodegradable in water.

In a modified OECD 301B screening test acetone was biodegraded to 90.9 ± 2.2 % after 28 days. The 10 days window was met. In a BOD-test according to APHA Standard methods No. 219 (1971) acetone was degraded to 84% based on ThOD in 5 days. In two further BOD-tests biodegradation of acetone yielded 76% after 10 days (84% after 20 days) and 81% after 20 days, respectively. Therefore simulation testing on ultimate degradation in surface water and sediment simulation testing do not need to be conducted.

There is one study available for sea water. In a BOD-test acetone was biodegraded  in synthetic salt water by a sea water adapted inoculum to 76% in 20 days. The pass level of 60 % was barely failed. This indicates that biodegradation of acetone may be somewhat slower in sea water, but significant.

 Acetone is biodegradable under anaerobic conditions by adapted microorganisms. After a lag phase of 5 days complete biodegradation was observed within 4 days by microorganisms previously cross-adapted with acetate.

Another study confirms that acetone is biodegradable also under sulphate-reducing, anaerobic conditions by Desulfococcus biacutus, which is adapted to acetone. Acetone is channelled into the intermediate metabolism of the microorganism via a C4-species (acetoacetyl-CoA) and subsequent cleavage to acetyl-CoA and oxidation to CO2. Carbon dioxide is needed for the acetone oxidation via this mechanism. Degradation of acetone was found to be 74.3 - 95.4 %

 

One study is available for biodegradability in soil.

Mineralization of14C acetone was studied in 20 - 40 years old refuse from three parts of a landfill that released volatile organic compounds. The study shows that acetone was mineralized to methane and carbon dioxide in landfill refuse.
Mineralization was 21.6 to 40.4 % in all reactors. In the reactors added 14C-acetone in water to simulate rainfall, 14C acetone drained with water. 3.3 - 4.8 % of the added14C was found in the humin fraction. Nature of the binding is unknown.