4-methylmorpholine 4-oxide, monohydrate

Endpoint summary

Description of key information

The substance NMMO is not readily biodegradable. The experiments performed by Meister and Wechsler (1998) indicate that NMMO is inherently biodegradable (not fulfilling specific criteria) in adapted but not unadapted sludge. NMMO was also demonstrated to be ultimately biodegradable, i.e., no persistent breakdown products are formed under these conditions. NMMO is degraded to NMM, NMM is demethylated to morpholine (rate-limiting), and morpholine then undergoes ring cleavage and further, ultimate biodegradation (Meister and Wechsler, 1998).

Additional information

According to REACH Annex XI 9.2 column 2, further testing of biotic degradation is not required if the chemical hazard assessment does not indicate the need. As the chemical hazard assessment for NMMO did not identify risks for the environment, further degradation testing was not performed.