Biodegradation of an essential oil UVCB - Whole substance testing and constituent specific analytics yield biodegradation kinetics of mixture constituents

Testing and assessing the persistency, bioaccumulative toxic properties of UVCBs (substances Unknown or Variable composition, Complex reaction products Biological materials) pose major technical analytical challenges. The main aim this study was to combine whole substance biodegradation testing with constituent specific analytics for determining primary kinetics UVCB constituents. An additional link constituents bioaccumulation potential baseline toxicity UVCB. Two closed experiments were conducted using similar test systems but different analyses. model substance, cedarwood Virginia oil, tested at a low concentration wastewater treatment plant effluent served as inoculum. We used microvolume solvent spiking quantitative mass transfer UVCB, while avoiding that co-solvent degradation would lead anaerobic conditions. determined automated solid-phase microextraction coupled GC-MS/MS targeted analysis non-targeted minor non-polar products. Primary constituents, accounting 73% w/w mixture, successfully rate constants ranging from 0.09 0.25 d −1 . Minor also degraded not observed. Finally, mixture start calculated both parameters decreased then substantially. strength new approach is possibility generating kinetics. • Whole yielded Screening method. Estimated during biodegradation.