Surfactants in the Environment
Open Access
- 1 March 2010
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH in Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology
- Vol. 61 (1), 95-110
- https://doi.org/10.2478/10004-1254-61-2010-1943
Abstract
Surfactants in the Environment: Surfactants are a diverse group of chemicals that are best known for their wide use in detergents and other cleaning products. After use, residual surfactants are discharged into sewage systems or directly into surface waters, and most of them end up dispersed in different environmental compartments such as soil, water or sediment. The toxic effects of surfactants on various aquatic organisms are well known. In general, surfactants are present in the environment at levels below toxicity and in Croatia below the national limit. Most surfactants are readily biodegradable and their amount is greatly reduced with secondary treatment in wastewater treatment plants. The highest concern is the release of untreated wastewater or wastewater that has undergone primary treatment alone. The discharge of wastewater polluted with massive quantities of surfactants could have serious effects on the ecosystem. Future studies of surfactant toxicities and biodegradation are necessary to withdraw highly toxic and non-biodegradable compounds from commercial use and replace them with more environmentally friendly ones.Keywords
This publication has 83 references indexed in Scilit:
- Effect of surfactants on stability of Acinetobacter johnsonii S35 and Oligotropha carboxidovorans S23 coaggregatesFEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2005
- Effects of surfactants on the rotifer, Brachionus calyciflorus, in a chronic toxicity test and in the development of qsarsEnvironmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 1997
- Effect of sediment organic carbon on the toxicity of a surfactant to Hyalella aztecaEnvironmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 1996
- Heterotrophic Activity of Microorganisms in Soils Treated with Quaternary Ammonium CompoundsEnvironmental Science & Technology, 1994
- Comparative effects of oil dispersants to the early life stages of topsmelt (Atherinops affinis) and kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera)Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 1994
- Photolytic degradation of a homogeneous Triton X nonionic surfactant: nonaethoxylated p-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenolJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 1991
- Trends in the formulation of pesticides—an overviewPesticide Science, 1990
- Nonionic Surfactant Effects on Growth and Porosity of Barley Roots1Agronomy Journal, 1974
- Effects of Nonionic Surfactants on Monocots1Agronomy Journal, 1969
- The Relationship of Charge Density, Antibacterial Activity and Micelle Formation of Quaternary Ammonium SaltsJournal of the American Chemical Society, 1955