Biodegradation of the artificial sweetener saccharin in surface waters and groundwaters

The aim of this study was to evaluate the biodegradability of the artificial sweetener saccharin in surface waters and groundwater. Artificial sweeteners are generally persistent under environmental conditions and have been recently classified as emerging pollutants. Biodegradability in three surface waters and one groundwater was tested: the rivers Ljubljanica, Pivka, and Unica, and the groundwater Planina Cave (river Pivka). Under environmentally relevant conditions, saccharin degraded well in hypertrophic water (98%, 14 days) due to high concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen. There was a longer lag phase and biodegradation time compared to the optimum conditions achieved in the standardized laboratory test. It has been concluded that saccharin is biodegradable in natural waters if said waters contain enough microorganisms and nutrients.