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Anaerobic Biodegradability

 

Compound
Category

Biodegradability

Comments
 

Polysaccharides &
Simple sugars

 

+

  

eg., cellulose, starch, pectine, glucose
Proteins &
aminoacids

+

  eg., gelatin, potato protein, milk protein
Fats &
Long chain fatty acids

+

  
Simple alcohols

+

   eg., methanol, ethanol, iso-propanol
Volatile fatty acids

+

   eg., acetate, propionate, butyrate
Formaldehyde

+

     
Aromatic compounds        
  • Aromatic hydrocarbons

─/+

   
  • Phenols

+

   eg. phenol, p-cresol
  • Benzoic acid
 +   
  • Benzaldehyde

+

     
  • Chlorinated phenols
 +    
  • Chlorobenzenes

─/+

     
  • Nitro-aromatic compounds

+

 eg. nitrophenol  (reduced to corresponding aromatic amines)
  • Aromatic amines

─/+

 Aromatic amines with hydroxyl or carboxyl substituents tend to be biodegradable (eg. aminobenzoate, aminophenol)
Other amines are recalcitrant  
Aliphatic compounds      
  • Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons

─/+

   
@Surfactants      
  • Polyethylene glycols

+

     
  • @various surfactants

@

     
Azo dyes

+

 Readily reduced to aromatic amines with electron donating cosubstrates
Phytochemicals     
  • Cellulose

+

   
  • Lignin

─

 High molecular weight lignin is recalcitrant to anaerobic degradation
  • Lignin monomeric compounds

+

 eg. guaiacol,  ferulic acid
  • Lignocellulose
 ─/+ Lignocellulose biodegradability increases linearly with decreasing lignin content.
Wood (30% lignin) 4% BD
Paper (23% lignin) 28% BD
Paper (13% BD) 60% BD
Pure cellulose 92% BD
  • Volatile terpenes
 ─ eg. pinene
  • Wood resin acids
 ─/+ eg. abietic and dehidroabietic acid
conflicting reports
  • Tannins
 ─/+ High molecular weight tannins are recalcitrant
Tannin monomers are biodegradable