Abstract
The fate of chloroacetic acids (CAA) in forest soils was studied using radio-indicator methods. We showed that chloroacetic acids are both microbially degraded and simultaneously formed by chloroperoxidase-mediated chlorination of acetic and humic acids. The degree of biodegradation of chloroacetic acids in soil depends on their concentration. Dichloroacetic acid (DCA) is degraded faster than trichloroacetic acid (TCA). Chlorination of acetic acid led to a fast formation of dichloroacetic acid, whereas chlorination of humic acids gave rise to trichloroacetic acid. Both processes lead to a steady state in soil, participate in the chlorine cycle and possibly also in decomposition of organic matter in forest ecosystems.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by grant no. 522/02/0874 of the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic. The support of the GSF Institute of Soil Ecology, Neuherberg, Germany, is gratefully acknowledged. We thank Dr. A. Riedel (ICEM Prague) for the radioactivity measurements of the soil samples and BSc Jana Rohlenová for the GC analyses.
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Matucha, M., Gryndler, M., Forczek, S.T. et al. Chloroacetic acids in environmental processes. Environ Chem Lett 1, 127–130 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-003-0030-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-003-0030-y