Anaerobic Biodegradability
Anaerobic Biodegradability | ||
Compound | Biodegradability | Comments |
Polysaccharides & |
+ | eg., cellulose, starch, pectine, glucose |
| Proteins & aminoacids | + | eg., gelatin, potato protein, milk protein |
| Fats & Long chain fatty acids | + | |
| Simple alcohols | + | eg., methanol, ethanol, iso-propanol |
| Volatile fatty acids | + | eg., acetate, propionate, butyrate |
| Formaldehyde | + | |
| Aromatic compounds | ||
| ─/+ | |
| + | eg. phenol, p-cresol |
| + | |
| + | |
| + | |
| ─/+ | |
| + | eg. nitrophenol (reduced to corresponding aromatic amines) |
| ─/+ | Aromatic amines with hydroxyl or carboxyl substituents tend to be biodegradable (eg. aminobenzoate, aminophenol) Other amines are recalcitrant |
| Aliphatic compounds | ||
| ─/+ | |
| @Surfactants | ||
| + | |
| @ | |
| Azo dyes | + | Readily reduced to aromatic amines with electron donating cosubstrates |
| Phytochemicals | ||
| + | |
| ─ | High molecular weight lignin is recalcitrant to anaerobic degradation |
| + | eg. guaiacol, ferulic acid |
| ─/+ | Lignocellulose biodegradability increases linearly with decreasing lignin content. |
| Wood (30% lignin) | 4% BD |
| Paper (23% lignin) | 28% BD |
| Paper (13% BD) | 60% BD |
| Pure cellulose | 92% BD |
| ─ | eg. pinene |
| ─/+ | eg. abietic and dehidroabietic acid conflicting reports |
| ─/+ | High molecular weight tannins are recalcitrant Tannin monomers are biodegradable |
[Need to illustrate the meaning of symbol of “+/-”]
