# Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on detergents (Text with EEA relevance), Division 4.1.1: Treatment of samples

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

The treatment of anionic surface-active agents and formulated detergents prior to the determination of primary biodegradability in the confirmatory test is:
Products
Treatment
Anionic surfactants
None
Formulated detergents
Alcoholic extraction followed by separation of the anionic surfactants by ion exchange
The purpose of the alcoholic extraction is to eliminate the insoluble and inorganic ingredients of the commercial product, which in some circumstances might upset the biodegradability test.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2004/648/annex/VIII/division/4/division/4.1/division/4.1.1 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2004-648/annex-VIII/division-4/division-4.1/division-4.1.1
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.