Relativity between biodegradability and chemical structure of phthalic acid esters in sludge

In order to predict the aerobic biodegradability of environmental hormonal: phtahalic acid esters(PAEs) and assess the instance of its residence in municipal sludge,the relativity between aerobic biodegradability and chemical structure of phthalic acid esters in municipal sludge was studied by quantitative structure-activity relationship(QSAR) method.The results showed that,the aerobic biodegradation rate constant of the phthalic acid esters in sludge decreased with the increasing of relative molecular mass of the test compound,and the steric structure parameters represented by molecular connectivity index was an important factor affecting the aerobic biodegradability of the test compound.