AEROBIC MICROBIAL-DEGRADATION OF AROMATIC SULFUR-CONTAINING-COMPOUNDSAND EFFECT OF CHEMICAL STRUCTURES

Batch data of aerobic microbial degradation rate constants Kb Of pheny lthio, phenylsulfinyl and phenylsulfonyl acetates have been determined , and the qualitative relationships between their Kb and chemical stru ctures were analyzed. The phenylthio acetates were most subject to mic robial transformation, followed by the phenylsulfonyl acetates. The co mpounds with a methoxy group were easier degraded than those with a is opropoxy group. The nitro-group and chloro-group on benzene were shown to lower the biodegradability, while the nitro-group at the para-posi tion had stronger side effect on degradation than at the ortho-positio n. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.