Fate and effect of monoalkyl quaternary ammonium surfactants in the aquatic environment

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 111; no. 1; pp. 169 - 175
• Main Authors: Garcı́a, M.T, Ribosa, I, Guindulain, T, Sánchez-Leal, J, Vives-Rego, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 2001; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Applied sciences; Aquatic toxicity; Biodegradation; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biological and medical sciences; Biological and physicochemical phenomena; Cationic surfactants; Cations; Daphnia - drug effects; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environmental Pollution - prevention & control; Exact sciences and technology; Flow Cytometry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Marine and brackish environment; Marine bacterioplankton; Natural water pollution; Photobacterium - drug effects; Pollution; Pollution, environment geology; Surface-Active Agents - chemistry; Surface-Active Agents - toxicity; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Water treatment and pollution; Biodegradation; Flow cytometry; Aquatic toxicity; Marine bacterioplankton; Cationic surfactants; Substituent effect; Biodegradability; Toxicity; Cladocera; Cationic surfactant; Crustacea; Marine environment; Bacterioplankton; Bacteria; Branchiopoda; Seawater; Photobacterium phosphoreum; Aerobiosis; Bioassay; Ecotoxicology; Pollutant behavior; Chain length; Hydrophobic compound; Quaternary ammonium compound; Arthropoda; Vibrionaceae; Water pollution; Kinetics; Invertebrata; Daphnia magna
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/S0269-7491(99)00322-X

“Capsule”: Surfactants provide a growth substrate which allows bacterioplankton to degrade them. The effect of the alkyl chain of quaternary ammonium-based surfactants on their aquatic toxicity and aerobic biodegradability has been studied. Two families of monoalkylquats surfactants were selected: alkyl trimethyl ammonium and alkyl benzyl dimethyl ammonium halides. Acute toxicity tests on Daphnia magna and Photobacterium phosphoreum were carried out and EC 50 values in the range of 0.1–1 mg/l were obtained for the two series of cationic surfactants. Although the substitution of a benzyl group for a methyl group increases the toxicity, an incremental difference in toxicity between homologs of different chain length were not observed. Biodegradability of the different homologs was determined not only in standard conditions but also in coastal water, both tests yielding similar results. An increase in the alkyl chain length or the substitution of a benzyl group for a methyl group reduces the biodegradation rate. The degradation of these compounds in coastal waters was associated with an increase in bacterioplankton density, suggesting that the degradation takes place because the compound is used as a growth substrate.