Policy document
July 17th 1992

Test No. 302B: Inherent Biodegradability: Zahn-Wellens/ EVPA Test

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OECD
OECD
https://www.oecd.org Flag of igo IGO

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade. It is a forum the members of which are countries describing themselves as committed to democracy and the market economy, providing a platform to compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practices and coordinate domestic and international policies of its members. The majority of OECD members are high-income economies with a very high Human Development Index (HDI) and are regarded as developed countries.
This Test Guideline describes the Zahn-Wellens/EMPA Test. It is used to determine inherent biodegradability. A mixture containing the non-volatile and water soluble test substance, mineral nutrients and a relatively large amount of activated sludge in aqueous medium is agitated and aerated at 20-25°C in the dark or in diffuse light, for up to 28 days. Blank controls, containing activated sludge and mineral nutrients but no test substance, are run in parallel. The functional capability of the activated sludge is tested using a reference compound (ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, lauryl sulfonate or aniline). In a typical run 1 or 2 vessels for the test suspension and for the inoculum blank, 1 for procedure control are used. The biodegradation process is monitored by determination of DOC, Dissolved Organic Carbon, (or COD, Chemical Oxygen Demand) in filtered samples, taken at daily or other time intervals. It is mandatory to follow DOC in the test suspension and inoculum blanks in parallel. The ratio of ...

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Identifiers

Overton ID
oecddiscovery-0c596f5005b0f5d71ec31391ba0be3ef
doi
10.1787/9789264070387-en

Topics in this document

Chemical compounds Manufacturing Chemical substances Materials Physical sciences Chemistry Artificial materials Chemical oxygen demand Calcium chloride Dissolved organic carbon Chemical substance Filtration Biochemical oxygen demand Purified water Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid Water Biodegradation Activated sludge Iron(III) chloride Solubility Phosphate PH Hydrogen peroxide Sewage sludge Sodium Chemical engineering Potassium Nature Chloride Environmental technology

Related SDGs

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Target 12.4

Achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment

Related COFOG Divisions

5: Environmental Protection 5.3: Pollution Abatement

Citations

Cited by 11 other policy documents (10 of them are from other policy sources)