TY - JOUR

T1 - Use of Chemotaxonomy To Study the Influence of Benzalkonium Chloride on Bacterial Populations in Biodegradation Testing

AU - Kümmerer, Klaus

AU - Al-Ahmad, Ali

AU - Henninger, Almut

PY - 2002/12/1

Y1 - 2002/12/1

N2 - Contradictory results are reported for the behaviour of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) in sewage treatment plants (STPs). QACs may sorb onto activated sludge. Only little information is available with respect to effects of QACs against bacteria in STPs. Only 5 to 15% of bacteria present in sewage sludge can be detected by means of culture dependent microbiological methods. The shift of the bacterial populations due to effects of test compounds have not been studied up to now with culture independent methods. The microbial populations shift was studied in situ using culture independent chemotaxonomy profiling ubiquinones and polyamines. Additionally, toxic effects of QACs against bacteria present in the test vessels of the Zahn-Wellens test (OECD 302 B) were assessed with a toxicity control in the test. The ubiquinone profiles representing changes in Gram-negative populations mainly showed that the activated sludge was affected only in test vessels containing benzalkonium chloride. According to chemotaxonomy Acinetobacter or/and some members of Pseudomonas spp. have been selected by benzalkonium chloride after some adaptation period (8 to 12 days)

AB - Contradictory results are reported for the behaviour of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) in sewage treatment plants (STPs). QACs may sorb onto activated sludge. Only little information is available with respect to effects of QACs against bacteria in STPs. Only 5 to 15% of bacteria present in sewage sludge can be detected by means of culture dependent microbiological methods. The shift of the bacterial populations due to effects of test compounds have not been studied up to now with culture independent methods. The microbial populations shift was studied in situ using culture independent chemotaxonomy profiling ubiquinones and polyamines. Additionally, toxic effects of QACs against bacteria present in the test vessels of the Zahn-Wellens test (OECD 302 B) were assessed with a toxicity control in the test. The ubiquinone profiles representing changes in Gram-negative populations mainly showed that the activated sludge was affected only in test vessels containing benzalkonium chloride. According to chemotaxonomy Acinetobacter or/and some members of Pseudomonas spp. have been selected by benzalkonium chloride after some adaptation period (8 to 12 days)

KW - Activated Sludge

KW - Ecotoxicity

KW - Polyamine

KW - Ubiquinone

KW - Zahn-Wellens Test

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0037003540&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/aheh.200390000

DO - 10.1002/aheh.200390000

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 30

SP - 171

EP - 178

JO - Acta Hydrochimica et Hydrobiologica

JF - Acta Hydrochimica et Hydrobiologica

SN - 0323-4320

IS - 4

ER -