Desorption of biocides from renders modified with acrylate and silicone

Transformation and stable isotope fractionation of the urban biocide terbutryn during biodegradation, photodegradation and abiotic hydrolysis

Terbutryn is a widely used biocide in construction materials like paint and render to prevent the growth of microorganisms, algae and fungi. Terbutryn is released from the facades into the environment during rainfall, contaminating surface waters, soil and groundwater. Knowledge of terbutryn dissipation from the facades to aquatic ecosystems is scarce. Here, we examined in laboratory microcosms degradation half-lives, formation of transformation products and carbon and nitrogen isotope fractionation during terbutryn direct (UV light with λ = 254 nm and simulated sunlight) and indirect (simulated sunlight with nitrate) photodegradation, abiotic hydrolysis (pH = 1, 7 and 13), and aerobic biodegradation (stormwater pond sediment, soil and activated sludge). Biodegradation half-lives of terbutryn were high (>80 d). Photodegradation under simulated sunlight and hydrolysis at extreme pH values indicated slow degradability and accumulation in the environment. Photodegradation resulted in a variety of transformation products, whereas abiotic hydrolysis lead solely to terbutryn-2-hydroxy in acidic and basic conditions. Biodegradation indicates degradation to terbutryn-2-hydroxy through terbutryn-sulfoxide. Compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) of terbutryn holds potential to differentiate degradation pathways. Carbon isotope fractionation values (ε_C) ranged from -3.4 ± 0.3‰ (hydrolysis pH 1) to +0.8 ± 0.1‰ (photodegradation under UV light), while nitrogen isotope fractionation values ranged from -1.0 ± 0.4‰ (simulated sunlight photodegradation with nitrate) to +3.4 ± 0.2‰ (hydrolysis at pH 1). In contrast, isotope fractionation during biodegradation was insignificant. Λ^N/C values ranged from -1.0 ± 0.1 (hydrolysis at pH 1) to 2.8 ± 0.3 (photodegradation under UV light), allowing to differentiate degradation pathways. Combining the formation of transformation products and stable isotope fractionation enabled identifying distinct degradation pathways. Altogether, this study highlights the potential of CSIA to follow terbutryn degradation in situ and differentiate prevailing degradation pathways, which may help to monitor urban biocide remediation and mitigation strategies.

Application, release, ecotoxicological assessment of biocide in building materials and its soil microbial response

Biocides are used in building materials to protect the building against microbial colonization and biodeterioration. However, these biocides are introduced by gradual leaching into soils in proximity of the buildings. This review discusses the aspects and characteristics of biocides from building materials in terms of (i) in-situ leaching and simulation thereof in-vitro and in-field tests, (ii) persistence, as well as photolytic and biodegradation, and its influence on toxicological evaluation, and (iii) evaluation of terrestrial toxicity by conventional ecotoxicological tests and novel holistic testing approaches. These aspects are influenced by multiple parameters, out of which water availability, physicochemical properties of microhabitats, combination of biocidal building materials, soil parameters, and composition of the soil microbiome are of utmost relevance. Deeper understanding of this multiparametric system and development of comprehensive characterization methodologies remains crucial, as to facilitate realistic assessment of the environmental impact of biocides used in construction materials and the corresponding degradation byproducts.

Environmental risk assessment of priority biocidal substances on Polish surface water sample

The EU directive 2013/39/EU has incorporated four biocidal compounds as priority substances: diuron, isoproturon, cybutryne, and terbutryn. The research was undertaken to determine the concentration of biocides in surface waters in three locations in southern Poland: the Wisła River in Kraków, the Wisłoka River in Mielec, and the drainage ditch draining water from arable fields located near Mielec. Environmental samples were taken in two series: winter (February) and spring (May and June). The analyses were carried out using gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. The seasonality of biocides in surface waters was observed. In winter samples, the concentrations were below MQL, while in spring, they ranged from a few to several dozen nanograms per liter. The highest concentrations of all analyzed compounds were recorded in water taken from the Wisła River. According to directive 2013/39/EU, the maximum allowable concentration was exceeded only in the case of cybutryne in water from the Wisła, both in May and in June. The assessment of the toxicity with the tested compounds was defined based on the Environmental Risk Assessment method. Low risk was estimated for diuron and isoproturon, while moderate risk for terbutryn and cybutryne.

Influence of façade orientation on the leaching of biocides from building façades covered with mortars and plasters

Biocides used in building façades to prevent potential growth of algae, fungi and bacteria are of major concern regarding the quality of stormwater runoff. The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of the façade orientation on the biocide release under real weather conditions to gain information for the development of on-site treatment systems. Field tests with model houses containing two different plaster compositions were carried out over a period of 18 months. The results of the analyzed rain events demonstrate that façade orientation plays an important role in the leaching loads of biocides. Biocide loads in the runoff decreased corresponding to the wind direction. High cumulated active substance discharges of diuron (149 mg/m²), carbendazim (43.5 mg/m²), terbutryn (9.3 mg/m²) and octylisothiazolinone (OIT) (31.9 mg/m²) were found in the runoff of the façades facing the predominant weather orientation. Meanwhile, the highest concentrations of diuron (2.8 mg/L) and OIT (0.7 mg/L) were observed in the runoff from façades with smaller runoff volumes. The obtained results demonstrate that treatment facilities have to be installed at all building sides. The hydraulic and the substance load is highest at the weather side, which has a strong influence on the dimension and the lifetime of the treatment system.

Using Environmental Simulations to Test the Release of Hazardous Substances from Polymer-Based Products: Are Realism and Pragmatism Mutually Exclusive Objectives?

The potential release of hazardous substances from polymer-based products is currently in the focus of environmental policy. Environmental simulations are applied to expose such products to selected aging conditions and to investigate release processes. Commonly applied aging exposure types such as solar and UV radiation in combination with water contact, corrosive gases, and soil contact as well as expected general effects on polymers and additional ingredients of polymer-based products are described. The release of substances is based on mass-transfer processes to the material surfaces. Experimental approaches to investigate transport processes that are caused by water contact are presented. For tailoring the tests, relevant aging exposure types and release quantification methods must be combined appropriately. Several studies on the release of hazardous substances such as metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, flame retardants, antioxidants, and carbon nanotubes from polymers are summarized exemplarily. Differences between natural and artificial exposure tests are discussed and demonstrated for the release of flame retardants from several polymers and for biocides from paints. Requirements and limitations to apply results from short-term artificial environmental exposure tests to predict long-term environmental behavior of polymers are presented.

Biocide emissions from building materials during wet weather: identification of substances, mechanism of release and transfer to the aquatic environment

Biocides are added to or applied on building materials to prevent microorganisms from growing on their surface or to treat them. They are leached into building runoff and contribute to diffuse contamination of receiving waters. This review aimed at summarizing the current state of knowledge concerning the impact of biocides from buildings on the aquatic environment. The objectives were (i) to assess the key parameters influencing the leaching of biocides and to quantify their emission from buildings, (ii) to determine the different pathways from urban sources into receiving waters and (iii) to assess the associated environmental risk. Based on consumption data and leaching studies, a list of substances to monitor in receiving water was established. Literature review of their concentrations in the urban water cycle showed evidences of contamination and risk for aquatic life, which should put them into consideration for inclusion to European or international monitoring programs. However, some biocide concentration data in urban and receiving waters is still missing to fully assess their environmental risk, especially for isothiazolinones, iodopropynyl carbamate, zinc pyrithione and quaternary ammonium compounds, and little is known about their transformation products. Although some models supported by actual data were developed to extrapolate emissions on larger scales (watershed or city scales), they are not sufficient to prioritize the pathways of biocides from urban sources into receiving waters during both dry and wet weathers. Our review highlights the need to reduce emissions and limit their transfer into rivers and reports several solutions to address these issues.

A mathematical approach for the analysis of data obtained from the monitoring of biocides leached from treated materials exposed to outdoor conditions

Leaching processes are responsible for the release of biocides from treated materials into the environment. Adequate modeling of emission processes is required in order to predict emission values in the framework of the risk assessment of biocidal products intended for long-term service life. Regression approaches have been applied to data obtained from the long-term monitoring of biocide emissions in experiments involving semi-field conditions. Due to the complex interaction of different underlying mechanisms such as water and biocide diffusion and desorption, however, these attempts have proven to be of limited usefulness - at least, for the available biocide emission data. It seems that the behavior of the biocide emission curve depends to a considerable extent on whichever underlying mechanism is slowest at a given point in time, thus limiting the amount of biocide available for release. Building on results obtained in the past few years, the authors propose a criterion for determining which mechanism controls the leaching process at a given point in time based on the slope of the log-log emission curve. In addition, a first-order approximation of this slope value is presented which displays advantages both in terms of computability and interpretability. Finally, an algorithm for the determination of breakpoints in the slope of the log-log emission curve is presented for the demarcation of phases within which one mechanism acts as a limiting factor.

Partition of biocides between water and inorganic phases of renders with organic binder

The use of biocides as additives for building materials has gained importance in the recent years. These biocides are applied, e.g., to renders and paints to prevent them from microbial spoilage. However, these biocides can leach out into the environment. In order to better understand this leaching, the partition of biocides between water and inorganic phases of render with organic binder was investigated. The partition constants of carbendazim, diuron, iodocarb, isoproturon, cybutryn (irgarol), octylisothiazolinone, terbutryn, and tebuconazole towards minerals typically used in renders, e.g. barite, calcium carbonate, marble, kaolinite, and talc were determined. Partition constants for calcium carbonate varied between 0.2mLg^-1 (diuron) and 5.2mLg^-1 (iodocarb), respectively. The results for barite and kaolinite were in a similar range and usually the compounds with high partition constants for one mineral also had high values for the other mineral. No sorption to marble at all was found. From all minerals investigated, only talc showed high partition for all studied biocides. Partition constants for talc varied from 21.3mLg^-1 (iodocarb) to 683.7mLg^-1 (tebuconazole), respectively. The comparison with render-water distribution constants of two artificially made renders showed that the distribution constants can be estimated based on partition constants of compounds for individual components of the render.

Determination of diffusion coefficients of biocides on their passage through organic resin-based renders

In this study the diffusion coefficients of isoproturon, diuron and cybutryn in acrylate and silicone resin-based renders were determined. The diffusion coefficients were determined using measuring concentrations of biocides in the liquid phase after being in contact with renders for specific time intervals. The mathematical solution of the transient diffusion equation for an infinite plate contacted on one side with a limited volume of water was used to calculate the diffusion coefficient. The diffusion coefficients through the acrylate render were 8.10·10(-9) m(2) s(-1) for isoproturon, 1.96·10(-9) m(2) s(-1) for diuron and 1.53·10(-9) m(2) s(-1) for cybutryn. The results for the silicone render were lower by one order of magnitude. The compounds with a high diffusion coefficient for one polymer had likewise high values for the other polymer.

Leaching of Terbutryn and Its Photodegradation Products from Artificial Walls under Natural Weather Conditions

Terbutryn is a commonly used biocide in construction materials. Especially polymer-resin-based renders and paints, used in external thermal insulation composite systems, are very susceptible to microbial deterioration. Previous studies have shown that biocides leach out of the material when contacted with rainwater; thus, they reach surface waters where they might have adverse effects on aquatic organisms. The knowledge on the long-term leaching performance and especially the formation and fate of degradation products is rare. In the present study, the leaching of terbutryn from artificial walls equipped with two types of render was observed for 19 months. In addition to concentration and mass load determinations for terbutryn, photodegradation products were identified and studied in the leachate and render. The results show that terbutryn leached mainly within the first 6-12 months. During the exposure, only 3% of the initial terbutryn was emitted to the runoff, while 64-80% remained in the coating. The overall mass balance could be closed by including several degradation products. Contrary to expectations, the major fraction of transformation products remained in the material and was not washed off immediately, which is of high importance for the long-term assessment of biocides in coating materials.

Leaching of biocides from polymer renders under wet/dry cycles--Rates and mechanisms

In this study it was tested, which mechanism for the transport of biocides in polymeric renders is more relevant: (1) evaporative transports (meaning there is a flow of water through the material due to evaporation on the surface), which transports also the biocides to the surface, (2) transport through the polymer and (3) transport through water filled pores. It turned out that under the experimental conditions evaporative transport was not relevant, while transport through soaked (constantly wetted) renders was considerably faster than by other means. Additionally it turned out that also the equilibria were influenced by the water content. Differences in equilibria can be up to factor 10 between constantly wetted (soaked) and un-wetted materials. The two tested materials (one silicone and one acrylate render) had significantly different leaching behavior concerning equilibria and dynamics of mass flows, but for both the pre-wetted materials leached most.

Polyacrylate-water partitioning of biocidal compounds: enhancing the understanding of biocide partitioning between render and water

In recent years, the application of polymer-based renders and paints for façade coatings of buildings has risen enormously due to the increased mounting of thermal insulation systems. These materials are commonly equipped with biocides - algaecides, fungicides, and bactericides - to protect the materials from biological deterioration. However, the biocides need to be present in the water phase in order to be active and, hence, they are flushed of the material by rain water. In order to increase the knowledge about the partitioning of biocides from render into the water phase, partition constants between the polymer - in this case polyacrylate - and water were studied using glass fibre filters coated with polyacrylate. The polyacrylate-water partition constants (logKAcW) of ten biocides used in construction material varied between 1.66 (isoproturon) and 3.57 (dichloro-N-octylisothiazolinone). The correlation of the polyacrylate-water partition constants with the octanol-water partition constants is significant, but the polyacrylate-water partition constants were predominantly below octanol-water partition constants (Kow). The comparison with render-water distribution constants showed that estimating the leaching of biocides from render based on polymer-water partitioning is a useful and practical tool.

Dynamics of biocide emissions from buildings in a suburban stormwater catchment - concentrations, mass loads and emission processes

Biocides such as isothiazolinones, carbamates, triazines, phenylureas, azoles and others are used to protect the surfaces of buildings, e.g. painted or unpainted render or wood. These biocides can be mobilized from the materials if rainwater gets into contact with these buildings. Hence, these biocides will be found in rainwater runoff (stormwater) from buildings that is traditionally managed as "clean water" in stormwater sewer systems and often directly discharged into surface waters without further treatment. By means of a 9 month event-based high resolution sampling campaign the biocide emissions in a small suburban stormwater catchment were analysed and the emission dynamics throughout the single rain events were investigated. Five out of twelve of the rain events (peak events) proved significantly higher concentrations than the rest (average) for at least one compound. Highest median concentrations of 0.045 and 0.052 μg L(-1) were found for terbutryn and carbendazim, while the concentrations for isoproturon, diuron, N-octylisothiazolinone, benzoisothiazolinone, cybutryn, propiconazole, tebuconazole, and mecoprop were one order of magnitude lower. However, during the peak events the concentrations reached up to 1.8 and 0.3 μg L(-1) for terbutryn and carbendazim, respectively. Emissions of an averaged single family house into the stormwater sewer turned out to be 59 and 50 μg event(-1) house(-1) terbutryn and carbendazim, respectively. Emissions for the other biocides ranged from 0.1 to 11 μg event(-1) house(-1). Mass load analysis revealed that peak events contributed in single events as much to the emissions as 11 average events. However, the mass loads were highly dependent on the amounts of rainwater, i.e. the hydraulic flow in the receiving sewer pipe. The analysis of the emission dynamics showed first flush emissions only for single parameters in three events out of twelve. Generally biocides seemed to be introduced into the stormwater system rather continuously during the respective events than in the beginning of them. Mass flows during the events did correlate to driving rain, whereas mass loads neither correlated to the length or the intensity of rainfall nor the length of dry period.