Ready Biodegradability Study: CO2 Evolution Test

Method that permits the screening of chemicals for ready biodegradability in an aerobic aqueous medium. A solution, or suspension, of the test substance, well determined/described, in a mineral medium is inoculated and incubated under aerobic conditions in the dark or in diffuse light. The running parallel blanks with inoculum but without test substance permits to determined the endogenous activity of the inoculum. A reference compound (aniline, sodium acetate or sodium benzoate) is run in parallel to check the operation of the procedures. Normally, the test lasts for 28 days.

OECD (1992), Test No. 301: Ready Biodegradability, OECD Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals, Section 3, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264070349-en.