The environmental fate of chlorophenolic constituents of bleachery effluents

Abstract

This paper reports on a set of interacting chemical, biological, and microbiological procedures which can be used to assess the impact of organic chemicals discharged into the aquatic environment. The authors have applied this set of procedures to chloroguaiacols, chlorocatechols, and chlorovanillins-components of bleachery effluents. In this analysis, biodegradation is distinguished from biotransformation. Metabolic transformations may result in the synthesis of compounds not necessarily less toxic nor more readily degradable than their precursors. Anaerobic microbial reactions are important, since substantial amounts of chlorophenolic compounds can be recovered from contaminated anaerobic sediments. These compounds can become bound to natural matrices-particularly sediments-but there are inherent problems on the bioavailability of the compounds. In a valid assessment of environmental hazard, all of these factors should be taken into account.