Patent ID: 7642094

Claim:
A method for measuring a biodegradation rate of a non-natural organic compound in the presence of biodegradation medium, comprising: preparing a sample medium by adding the non-natural organic compound to the biodegradation medium and without enriching said sample medium with a radioactive carbon isotope 14 C; measuring a concentration of 14 C(pMC) of a control medium before biodegradation which is the biodegradation medium without said non-natural compound; measuring a concentration of 14 C(pMC), carbon, and metal as an internal standard of the sample medium before and after biodegradation; calculating the biodegradation rate by using the obtained pMC values for the following calculation formulae: B = ( pMC ⁢ ⁢ of ⁢ ⁢ control ⁢ ⁢ ⁢ medium before ⁢ ⁢ biodegradation ) - ( pMC ⁢ ⁢ of ⁢ ⁢ ⁢ sample ⁢ ⁢ medium before ⁢ ⁢ biodegradation ) ( pMC ⁢ ⁢ of ⁢ ⁢ control ⁢ ⁢ medium before ⁢ ⁢ biodegradation ) ( 1 ) C = ( pMC ⁢ ⁢ of ⁢ ⁢ control ⁢ ⁢ ⁢ medium after ⁢ ⁢ biodegradation ) - ( pMC ⁢ ⁢ of ⁢ ⁢ ⁢ sample ⁢ ⁢ medium after ⁢ ⁢ biodegradation ) ( pMC ⁢ ⁢ of ⁢ ⁢ control ⁢ ⁢ medium after ⁢ ⁢ biodegradation ) ( 2 ) wherein a carbon content in the sample medium before biodegradation (D) is D = Carbon ⁢ ⁢ ⁢ content derived ⁢ ⁢ from ⁢ ⁢ sample ⁢ ⁢ ( g ) B ( 3 ) wherein a carbon content in the sample medium after biodegradation (E) is E = D - Amount ⁢ ⁢ of ⁢ ⁢ carbon ⁢ ⁢ dioxide ⁢ ⁢ discharged ⁢ ⁢ from ⁢ ⁢ sample ⁢ ⁢ medium ⁢ ⁢ ( g ) × 12 44 ( 4 ) and wherein a biodegradation rate is Biodegration ⁢ ⁢ rate ⁡ ( % ) = [ 1 - E × C D × B ] × 100 ( 5 ) = [ 1 - E × C Carbon ⁢ ⁢ content ⁢ ⁢ derived ⁢ ⁢ from ⁢ ⁢ sample ⁢ ⁢ ( g ) ] × 100 ; ( 6 ) or wherein said biodegradation rate is determined using the following calculation formulae H = F G ⨯ D ( 7 ) E = J I ⨯ K = J I ⨯ F G ⨯ D ( 8 ) wherein F: metal concentration of sample medium before biodegradation; G: carbon concentration of sample medium before biodegradation; I: metal concentration of sample medium after biodegradation; J: carbon concentration of sample medium after biodegradation; D: carbon content (g) of sample medium before biodegradation; E: carbon content (g) of sample medium after biodegradation; H: metal content (g) of sample medium before biodegradation; K: metal content (g) of sample medium after biodegradation; and K═H; and wherein said non-natural compound is a petrochemical and/or a coal chemical synthesized from a raw material of fossil fuel.