Assessing the Biodegradability of Hydraulic Fluids Using a Bio-Kinetic Model

摘要

Throughout the industrial age, natural resources have been turned into products no longer recognizable by microorganisms and enzymes converting natural substances into their basic building bocks. To make more environmentally friendly products, significant efforts are being made to develop biodegradable materials and technologies fully compatible with the environment. One of the concerns in these efforts is the evaluation of their biodegradability in laboratory environments within a short period. Currently, several ASTM and OECD biodegradation test methods are available for determining this environmental property, but they take a long time (28 days) and special biological knowledge is required. To resolve this problem, a bio-kinetic model was developed to predict the biodegradability of hydraulic fluids. This report presents how to develop a bio-kinetic model and its results are discussed in a comparison with the modified Strum test (ASTM D 5864) and the Aerobic Closed Respirometer test (ASTM D 6731).