Biodegradability Prediction: Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on QSAR Biodegradation II - QSARs for Biotransformation and Biodegradation, ... Science Partnership Subseries: 2 Book 23)

Biodegradation is the dominant pathway for the environmental transformation of most chemicals and information on a chemical's biodegradability is essential for proper risk assessment. But there are few methods for predicting whether or not a chemical is biodegradable, since this depends on the chemical's structure as well as on the environmental conditions that it encounters. The present book deals with quantitative structure-biodegradability relationship models (QSBRs), emphasizing the biological and ecological part of the biodegradation process. Surveys are given of the microbial aspects of biodegradation and the methods available for testing biodegradability. New trends and methods in biodegradation modelling are reviewed, including contributions on computerized biodegradability prediction systems. Some of the newly developed models for assessing risk and ecological impact in aquatic and terrestrial environments have been validated, and this process is discussed. __Audience:__ Scientists active in microbiology, the environmental sciences, biotechnology and bioremediation. Policy makers will find the book indispensable in assessing the present state of the art on the biodegradability of substances. Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction, Main Conclusions and Recommendations of The Workshop “QSAR Biodegradation II”....Pages 1-5 Biodegradability of Xenobiotic Organic Compounds Depends on their Chemical Structure and Efficiently Controlled, and Productive Biochemical Reaction Mechanisms....Pages 7-16 Biodegradability Testing of Xenobiotics....Pages 17-26 The META-CASETOX System....Pages 27-40 Application of Artificial Intelligence in Biodegradation Modelling....Pages 41-50 Polychlorinated Dibenzo- p -Dioxins in Anaerobic Soils and Sediments....Pages 51-64 A Biodegradabelity Evaluation and Simulation System (Bess) Based on Knowledge of Biodegradation Pathways....Pages 65-73 A Mechanistic Approach to Deriving Quantitative Structure Biodegradablity Relationships....Pages 75-92 Quantitative Structure-Biodegradability Studies: An Investigation of the Miti Aromatic Compound Data-Base....Pages 93-104 Prediction of Biodegradablity from Chemical Structure....Pages 105-113 Development of Structure Biodegradability Relationships (SBRs) for Estimating Half-Lives of Organic Contaminants in Soil Systems....Pages 115-138 Back Matter....Pages 139-143