Manometric determination of biological degradability of substances poorly soluble in aqueous environments

Several ways or methods of testing the biological degradability of organic substances poorly soluble in aqueous environments were verified by applying manometric BOD measurements. Model substrates employed here were dibutyl phthalate, dioctyl adipate, bio-fuel and some of their components. Dosages of substrates were varied by combining direct weighing and sonification, by using an emulsion with Triton X100, or by a solution in 1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane. These selected variants of dosage, except for the last, proved to be equivalent from the viewpoint of degree and rate of biological degradation. The applied methods gave values of biochemical/theoretical oxygen demand ratio (BOD/ThOD) around 50%, even for substrates claimed to be biologically easily degradable. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Limited.