Improved accuracy of environmentally relevant parameter estimates derived from biodegradation assays
2019
Escuder-Gilabert, Laura | Martín-Biosca, Yolanda | Sagrado, Salvador | Medina-Hernández, María José
Biodegradation assays involve both biodegradation and analytical processes which can be affected by systematic errors, among others. These errors can affect all the environmentally relevant parameters related to biodegradability, enantioselectivity (in the case of chiral compounds), kinetic parameters and persistence of chemicals. However, such impacts have never been well-characterized. In this work, calculations and models used for a long time are studied by simulating systematic errors at the 5% level, which affect independently the analytical calibration step and the biodegradation process. The impact of these errors is also compared with those obtained from an alternative approach: recently proposed equations and a novel model (a Monod modified version) developed in this work. All simulations are compatible with an environmentally relevant pollutant concentration. The results suggest a high degree of minimization (or even cancelation) of the systematic error impact using the alternative approach respect to the conventional one. These findings can be interpreted either in view of achiral or chiral pollutants. The present work can have a positive impact in the area of risk assessment of new pollutants and hazardous materials.
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