RIVER-WATER BIODEGRADATION OF SURFACTANTS IN LIQUID DETERGENTS AND SHAMPOOS

Biodegradabilities of surfactants in four detergents namely SDS, Teepol, Apollo, Spencer and Triton X-100, and two shampoos, Flex and Rainbow, were assessed using the river-water die-away method. The shampoos underwent a more rapid primary biodegradation than the liquid detergents. The ease of degradation over a 12-day period followed the order-SDS (97%), Rainbow (85%), Flex (79%), Spencer (79%), Apollo (77%), Triton X-100 (63%) and Teepol (59%) and appears to be related to their sulphate concentrations. A microbial consortium comprising the following genera-Vibrio, Flavobacterium, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, Bacillus, Escherichia, Shigella, Citobacter, Proteus and Anaebena-were found to effect the degradation. The detergents and shampoos supported microbial growth in the following decreasing order; Teepol, Spencer, Flex, Rainbow, Apollo and Triton X-100. It is concluded that the detergent or shampoo that supports the most microbial growth is not necessarily the most easily degraded.