Ecotoxicity of anionic surfactants AKYPO®

Abstract

In this paper, the toxicity values of ether carboxylic derivatives surfactants with commercial name AKYPO ® , and the anionic surfactant linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS), have been determined by applying the 24-h immobilization test with Daphnia magna (freshwater crustacea), the LumiStox ® 300 test which employs the luminescent bacterium Photobacterium phosphoreum of the strain Vibrio fischeri, and the 72-h algal growth-inhibition test with the microalgae Selenastrum capricornutum, using culture-growth inhibition as the effect criterion. Three AKYPO ® , with different alkyl chain and degree of ethoxylation, and LAS have been tested. For all tests, the results indicated that Vibrio fischeri is more sensitive to toxic effects from AKYPO ® and LAS than Daphnia magna or the microalgae. The results demonstrate that the toxicity is lower for the AKYPO ® with the shortest alkyl chain. The anionic surfactant LAS presents