B.2 Transformations in the Environment
269
• The total degradation of a substance in the environment across all degradation
pathways can often be described by a sum of first-order or pseudo first-order rate
constants.
• The degradation rate constant provides no information about the degradation
products. While abiotic degradation can often only carry out a single degradation
step, biodegradation may lead to complete mineralization of a substance, i.e., the
elements C, N, S, and X bound in the chemical degrade into CO 2 , NO
−
3 , SO
2−
4 ,
and X − .
• Achieving complete degradation often requires a combination of both abiotic and
biological stages or the adaptation of microorganisms.
269
• The total degradation of a substance in the environment across all degradation
pathways can often be described by a sum of first-order or pseudo first-order rate
constants.
• The degradation rate constant provides no information about the degradation
products. While abiotic degradation can often only carry out a single degradation
step, biodegradation may lead to complete mineralization of a substance, i.e., the
elements C, N, S, and X bound in the chemical degrade into CO 2 , NO
−
3 , SO
2−
4 ,
and X − .
• Achieving complete degradation often requires a combination of both abiotic and
biological stages or the adaptation of microorganisms.