Fatty Alcohols

Executive Summary;

1 - Definitions;

Names and structures;

Physico-Chemical Properties;

Solubility vs. chain length;

Partitioning (Kow) and sediment associations;

Summary;

2 - Biological Synthesis;

Type I Fatty Acid Synthesis;

Unsaturated chains;

Type II Fatty Acid Synthase;

Unsaturated Compounds;

Branched chains;

Fatty Acid Degradation;

Fatty Acyl-CoA Reductase (FAR);

Synthesis from carbohydrates (Copepods);

Summary;

3 - Occurrence in Biota;

Bacteria;

Chlorophyll side chain (phytol);

Marine Plants;

Terrestrial Plant Waxes;

Mosses and other peat forming plants;

Marine animals;

Insects;

Birds;

Summary;

4 -Consumer and Cosmetic Product Uses and Production;

Introduction;

Detergent Alcohols Manufacture;

Oleochemical based alcohols;

Oleochemical Fatty Alcohols;

Petrochemical based alcohols;

Internal Olefins;

Conventional OXO Alcohols Based on Internal Olefins;

Alcohols based on Ethylene;

Ziegler Ethylene Growth Process;

Ziegler Alcohols;

Modified OXO Alcohols;

SHOP (Shell Higher Olefin Process) ?-Olefins;

SHOP Internal Olefins and Modified OXO Alcohols;

Summary;

Detergent Formulations;

5 - Environmental Transformations;

Metabolism of Fatty Alcohols;

Natural degradation;

Short chain moieties;

Long chain moieties;

Degradation Rate Constants;

Phytol degradation;

Effect of chemical associations on transformation rates;

"Natural" fatty alcohols in STPs;

Anthropogenic fatty alcohols in STPs;

Summary;

6 - Analytical methods;

Overview of Methods;

Methods for analysis of free fatty alcohols (and ethoxylates);

Environmental Samples;

Inter-laboratory comparisons;

Summary;

7 - Environmental Concentrations;

The Marine Environment;

Victoria Harbour, BC - Estuarine Surface Sediments;

ConcepcYon Bay, Chile and San Vicente Bay, Chile;

Rio de Janeiro - surface sediments in a contaminated bay;

Ria Formosa lagoon - surface sediments;

Ria Formosa lagoon - suspended and settled sediments;

Ria Formosa lagoon - shallow core from intertidal sediments;

Eastern North Atlantic;

San Miguel Gap, California - long marine core;

Rio Grande Rise (516F of leg 72 ODP), Brazil;

Falkland Plateau (511 of leg 71 ODP), S. Atlantic;

Guatemalan Basin (Legs 66 & 67 ODP), Central America;

Continental slope, SW of Taiwan;

East China Sea, N of Taiwan;

The Terrestrial Environment;

Pasture land, Southern Australia;

Prairie Zone soils, Alberta, Canada;

UK Studies;

Conwy Estuary - Estuarine Core (50 cm);

Mawddach Estuary - surface sediments;

The Menai Strait - surface sediments;

Loch Riddon, Scotland - mid-length marine core;

Clyde Sea, Scotland - surface sediments;

Loe Pool, Cornwall - coastal lake;

Bolton Fell Moss, Cumbria - mire;

Lochnagar, Scotland - mountain lake;

Loch Eil, Scotland - a marine core and Loch Lochy, Scotland - a freshwater core;

Summary;

8 - Using Fatty Alcohols as Biomarkers;

Stable Isotopes;

13C Composition;

2H Composition;

Bacterial Biomass;

Marine Fauna;

Terrestrial Plants;

Photosynthetic Activity;

9 - Multivariate Statistics;

Chemometric methods of use with fatty alcohols;

PCA;

PLS;

10 - Environmental and Human Safety Aspects of Fatty Alcohols;

Physical Chemistry Relevant to Safety Assessments;

OECD SIAR;

Summary;

Physical-Chemical Overview from the OECD SIAR;

Conclusions for Characterizing the OECD Long Chain Alcohols Category;

Human Health and Risk;

Uses and Products;

Hazards for Human Health;

Exposure Characterization for Human Health;

Risk Characterization for Human Health;

Environmental Risk;

Pathways of Environmental Exposure;

Environmental Effects;

Measurements of Exposure for the Purpose of Environmental Risk Assessment;

Risk Characterization in the Environment;

Summary;

References;

11 - The Future for Fatty Alcohols.