Biokinetics of biodegradation of surfactants under aerobic, anoxic and anaerobic conditions

The present investigation aims at estimating the biodegradation coefficients of surfactants. The biodegradabilities of Triton X-100 and Rhamnolipid were tested under aerobic, nitrate reducing, sulphate reducing and anaerobic conditions using a respirometer. The results indicated that in terms of biodegradability, Rhamnolipid is superior to Triton X-100, since it is biodegradable under all conditions, whereas Triton X-100 is partially biodegradable under aerobic conditions and non-biodegradable under anaerobic, nitrate reducing and sulphate reducing conditions.