Biodegradation rates of ferulic acid derivatives and traditional sunscreen actives in marine, bay, and freshwater environments

Authors: Chou, Kelly; McCaffrey, Zachariah - Zach; Klamczynski, Artur; Torres, Lennard; Compton, David - Dave; Glenn, Gregory - Greg; Hart-Cooper, William

Submitted to: ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/2/2024
Publication Date: 2/27/2024
Citation: Chou, K.J., McCaffrey, Z., Klamczynski, A.P., Torres, L.F., Compton, D.L., Glenn, G.M., Hart-Cooper, W.M. 2024. Biodegradation rates of ferulic acid derivatives and traditional sunscreen actives in marine, bay, and freshwater environments. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. 12(10):3899-3908. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c05002.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c05002

Interpretive Summary: There is concern that abundant use of sunscreens can be harmful to the environment especially if the ingredients in sunscreen don't degrade and persist in the environment. This paper looked at the rate of degradation of several traditional sunscreen additives and compared them with modified vegetable oils that have been previously shown to block UV. The rate of degradation was determined by observing CO2 generation over time in three environments: marine water, baywater, and freshwater. Additionally the effect of adding nutrients to the three environments was investigated. The results were compared with previous studies using wastewater treatment sludge and an available model. For all three environments, the modified vegetable oils degraded one to two orders of magnitude faster than the conventional sunscreen additives.

Technical Abstract: In recent years, concern over adverse effects of conventional organic ultraviolet absorbers on human and environmental health has grown. In this work, the mineralization rates of traditional sunscreen actives octinoxate, homosalate, and avobenzone were compared to bio-derived UV absorbers ferulic acid, ethyl ferulate, feruloylated soybean oil, and feruloylated coconut oil. These rates were determined by observing CO2 generation over time under three separate conditions: marine water, baywater, and freshwater. The effect of nutrient supplementation was also separately estimated through comparing mineralization rates of supplemented vs. non-supplemented freshwater. The resulting mineralization rates were compared with previous experiments performed in wastewater treatment sludge, as well as with biodegradation properties predicted by quantitative structure-activity/property relationship models. Across all three aquatic environments, we observed that the ferulic acid derivatives mineralized faster than conventional UV absorbers by one to two orders of magnitude.