Microbial degradation of synthetic sperm whale oils

Thirteen synthetic sperm whale oils, including four sulfated and three sulfurized products, were tested for biodegradability using growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and BOD5 as indicators. All of the Underivatized oils were found to be easily degraded; the sulfated and sulfurized products were relatively resistant. Four oils showed anti-microbial properties at concentrations of more than 1.0%. All the replacements are capable of causing BOD loading problems.