A tremendous effort has been invested in soil monitoring in Europe, at country- as well as EU-level. However, there is so far no comprehensive and updated state of knowledge to identify healthy soils and those requiring protection. For the last few years, the European Topic Centre on Urban Land and Soil Systems (ETC/ULS) has followed […]
Different ready biodegradability tests (OECD 301 series and OECD 310) are currently used for evaluating if a substance is readily biodegradable and for identifying potentially persistent substances. Although the methods differ considerably, the test results are considered equivalent. In persistency assessments under REACH, enhanced ready biodegradability tests with an extended test duration (up to 60 […]
Jörg Römbke, Thomas Knacker and Hans Schallnaß funded ECT Oekotoxikologie GmbH in 1993. After 31 years of service to ECT and after securing ECT’s future as part of the Syntech Research Group in 2021, Jörg Römbke will retire at the end of 2022. We all at ECT are grateful for all the years of cooperation, […]
The decomposition of organic matter is a key microbiological function in soil. A soil is healthy when organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling are intact. Against this background, a laboratory-based method was developed for quantitative evaluation of microbial decomposition of organic matter in contaminated soil. This method is based on the quantification of the ability […]
Manure is widely used as a fertilizer and applied to agricultural land. It may contain highly active chemicals like veterinary medicinal products or biocides, which enter the environment by this pathway. This is recognized by several regulatory frameworks, however, a detailed method for examining the transformation of chemicals in manure was lacking. The present publication […]
Standard laboratory tests to evaluate the effects of stressors (in most cases chemicals) on soil organisms offer a good compromise between feasibility and outcome, i.e. they should be reproducible and provide robust results. However, these tests may underestimate potential effects of prolonged exposures, particularly for persistent contaminants. In the last years, there was an increase […]
The 4th Euro-Mediterranean Conference for Environmental Integration (EMCEI) takes place on 01-04 November 2022 in Sousse, Tunisia. Its main objective is to promote the exchange of scientific knowledge and to foster collaboration among Euro-Mediterranean communities. Jörg Römbke contributes with the following plenary presentation to the EMCEI conference: J. Römbke, R. Schmelz, A. Van der Veen, […]
On 30 June 2022, the OECD published test guideline No. 320: ‘Determining anaerobic transformation of chemicals in liquid manure’. This guideline describes a standardised method to investigate transformation of chemical substances in pig and cattle liquid manure under anaerobic conditions. The experiments are performed to determine the rate of transformation of the test substance, the […]
In persistence assessment, enhanced ready biodegradability tests (eRBT) are used to close the gap between screening tests and complex simulation tests. However, only few data from such tests are available, and neither guidance on the design and interpretation of eRBTs, nor suitable validity criteria have been established so far. In a practical testing programme, five […]
Organic matter decomposition is a key soil microbiological function. Intact organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling indicate that a soil is healthy. In view of these facts, a laboratory-based method has been developed to quantitatively evaluate this process. The ability of soil micro-organisms to decompose filter paper (lignin cellulosic material) as a standard organic material […]
K. Duis
T. Junker
K. Duis
T. Junker
D. Leib
Britta Pohl
Hydrotox - Labor für Ökotoxikologie und Gewässerschutz GmbH 
K. Duis