Essential oil obtained from the leaves of Cymbopogon flexuosus, gramineae by distillation

Biodegradation in water: screening tests

Administrative data

Endpoint:

biodegradation in water: ready biodegradability

Type of information:

migrated information: read-across based on grouping of substances (category approach)

Adequacy of study:

key study

Reliability:

2 (reliable with restrictions)

Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:

other: see 'Remark'

Remarks:

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) oil is a Natural Complex Substance (NCS). With 97.2 % of the constituents of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) oil known, this NCS can be considered as a well defined NCS. The main constituent is citral. The remaining constituents are monoterpenes and terpenoid alcohols, aldehydes and their esters, as well as cyclic monoterpenes and alcohols. If the constituents of the NCS are readily biodegradable, the NCS itself is readily biodegradable as well.

Data source

Reference

Reference 1

Reference Type:

other: data from several RIFM member companies

Title:

Unnamed

Year:

2010

Reference 2

Reference Type:

other: MITI database

Title:

Unnamed

Year:

2010

Reference 3

Reference Type:

other: estimation method

Title:

BIOWIN v4.10

Author:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Year:

2008

Bibliographic source:

US EPA. [2008]. Estimation Programs Interface Suite™ for Microsoft® Windows, v 4.00. United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA

Reference 4

Reference Type:

other: Estimation program

Title:

EAWAG Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database

Author:

EAWAG-BBD

Year:

2014

Bibliographic source:

http://eawag-bbd.ethz.ch/predict/

Reference 5

Reference Type:

publication

Title:

Aerobic biodegradation of selected monoterpenes

Author:

Misra, G.; Pavlostathis, S.G.; Perdue, E.M.; Araujo, R.

Year:

1996

Bibliographic source:

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (1996), 45(6), 831-838

Reference 6

Reference Type:

publication

Title:

Persistency assessment and aerobic biodegradation of selected cyclic sesquiterpenes present in essential oils

Author:

Jenner KJ, Kreutzer G, Racine P

Year:

2011

Bibliographic source:

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 30, No. 5, pp. 1096–1108, 2011

Reference 7

Reference Type:

secondary source

Title:

Unnamed

Year:

2007

Reference 8

Reference Type:

publication

Title:

The application of inorganic carbon measurements to the study of aerobic biodegradability

Author:

Birch & Fletcher

Year:

1991

Bibliographic source:

Chemosphere 23(4): 507-524

Reference 9

Reference Type:

other: ECHA database

Title:

Unnamed

Year:

2014

Materials and methods

Principles of method if other than guideline:

Assessment of the Ready biodegradability of the known constituents; In the constituent approach (See Statement NCS protocol) for this purpose the NCS is considered as a mixture. For classification and labelling of the NCS, a summation approach is applied as described for mixtures in CLP (i.e. aquatic chronic classification if the sum of the percentages of constituents that are not rapidly degraded is ≥ 25%). From there it may be concluded, vice versa, that if ≥ 75% of sum of the percentage of the constituents is readily biodegradable, the NCS as a whole may be classified as readily biodegradable.

GLP compliance:

no

Test material

Test material information

Constituent 1

Reference substance name:

Cymbopogon flexuosus, ext.

IUPAC Name:

Cymbopogon flexuosus, ext.

Constituent 2

Reference substance name:

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) oil

IUPAC Name:

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) oil

Results and discussion

Details on results:

Details for all constituents are summarised in window "Any other information on results" and in attached document

Any other information on results incl. tables

Assessment of the biodegradability of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) oil:

A total of 93.9% of the typical composition is considered to be readily biodegradable. The remaining constituents are also biodegradable within a relatively short time. Thus the Natural Complex substance is considered to be a readily biodegradable substance, see underlying data in table below.

Constituent		Results of biodegradation assessment
Citral (Neral + Geranial) CAS# 5392-40-5		READILY BIODEGRADABLE: - Modified 301B - MITI (I) / OECD 301C Direct analysis
Geranial CAS# 96680 -15-8		READILY BIODEGRADABLE: (isomer of Citral) Citral is READILY BIODEGRADABLE: - Modified 301B - MITI (I) / OECD 301C - Direct analysis
Nerol CAS# 106-25-2		READILY BIODEGRADABLE: - OECD 301F - OECD 301B
Citronellol CAS# 106-22-9 C10H20O		READILY BIODEGRADABLE: - OECD 301C - DOC (Method F from Blue book series 1991)
Citronellal CAS#106-23-0		READILY BIODEGRADABLE: - OECD 301F
Citronellyl acetate CAS# 150-84-5		Expected to be READILY BIODEGRADABLE
Acetylated myrcene (CAS 68412-04-4)		Analogue to support ready biodegradability of Citronellyl acetate READILY BIODEGRADABLE: -OECD 301B
Geraniol CAS# 106-24-1 C10H18O		READILY BIODEGRADABLE: - Modified OECD 301B - OECD 301F - OECD 301F - OECD 301F - OECD 301F - OECD 301D  http://esis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/doc/IUCLID /data_sheets/106241.pdf
Geranyl acetate CAS# 105-87-3		READILY BIODEGRABLE: - OECD 301D - OECD 301D - Modified OECD 301B - OECD 301F
Nonanone CAS# 4485-09-0 C9H18O		Expected to be READILY BIODEGRADABLE
Isogeranial CAS#72203-98-6		Expected to be READILY BIODEGRADABLE
Linalool CAS# 78-70-6 C10H18O		READILY BIODEGRADABLE: - OECD 301C - OECD Modified 301B - MITI (I) / OECD 301C Direct analysis: TOC & GC
Methyl Heptenone CAS# 110-93-0		READILY BIODEGRADABLE: - OECD 301F
b-Myrcene CAS#123-35-3		READILY BIODEGRADABLE: - OECD 310 - MITI (I) / OECD 301C Direct analysis: TOC & GC
Ocimene (cis & trans) CAS# 3338-55-4		Expected to be READILY BIODEGRADABLE:
Limonene (D and L) CAS# 138-86-3		READILY BIODEGRADABLE: - Headspace CO2 - MITI (I) / OECD 301C Direct analysis: TOC & GC
Terpinolene CAS# 586-62-9		READILY BIODEGRADABLE: - OECD 301B - OECD 301F - OECD 302C
Terpineol (alpha&beta&gamma) CAS# 8000-41-7		READILY BIODEGRADABLE: - OECD 310
Eugenol CAS#97-53-0		READILY BIODEGRADABLE: EU-C.4-E OECD 301B OECD 301F
d-Cadinene CAS# 483-76-1 C15H24		Biodegradable in prolonged test but Not readily biodegradable d-Cadinene: OECD 301F
a-Pinene CAS#80-56-8		READILY BIODEGRADABLE: - OECD301B - MITI (I) / OECD 301C
Camphene CAS# 79-92-5		Inherently biodegradable - OECD 302C
Borneol CAS# 507-70-0		READILY BIODEGGRADABLE - OECD 301F - OECD 301F
b-Caryophyllene CAS#87-44-5 C15H24		READILY BIODEGRADABLE: - OECD 301F
b-Caryophyllene oxide CAS# 1139-30-6 C15H24O		Expected to be READILY BIODEGRADABLE
Bergamottene CAS# 6895-56-3 C15H24		Expected to be INHERENTLY BIODEGRADABLE
Total 97.2%

The complete assessment document is added attached to this study record.

Applicant's summary and conclusion

Validity criteria fulfilled:

not applicable

Interpretation of results:

readily biodegradable

Conclusions:

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) oil is considered as readily biodegradable.

Executive summary:

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) oil is a Natural Complex Substance (NCS) for which 97.2% of the constituents is identified. The constituents are mainly citral, monoterpenes and terpenoid alcohols, aldehydes and their esters, as well as cyclic monoterpenes and alcohols. As no valid empirical results from a test for the ready biodegradation of this NCS are available, the assessment is based on its constituents (maximum in composition at or above 0.1%). The assumption is that if the constituents of the NCS are readily biodegradable, the NCS itself is readily biodegradable as well.

Three out of the 24 identified constituents, comprising 3.31% of the typical composition, are not readily biodegradable, but they are inherently and/or primary biodegradable within a relatively short time. The remaining 21 constituents, representing 93.9% of the typical composition, are considered to be readily biodegradable. Therefore, Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) oil is considered to be readily biodegradable