Campisi Tiziana, Samorì Chiara, Torri Cristian, Barbera Giuseppe, Foschini Anna, Kiwan Alisar, Galletti Paola, Tagliavini Emilio, Pasteris Andrea
Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca Industriale Energia e Ambiente, University of Bologna, via S. Alberto 163, Ravenna, Italy.
Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca Industriale Energia e Ambiente, University of Bologna, via S. Alberto 163, Ravenna, Italy; Dipartimento di Chimica "Giacomo Ciamician", University of Bologna, via Selmi 2, Bologna, Italy.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2016 Oct;132:87-93. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2016.05.027. Epub 2016 Jun 7.
In view of the potential use of pyrolysis-based technologies, it is crucial to understand the environmental hazards of pyrolysis-derived products, in particular bio-oils. Here, three bio-oils were produced from fast pyrolysis of pine wood and intermediate pyrolysis of corn stalk and poultry litter. They were fully characterized by chemical analysis and tested for their biodegradability and their ecotoxicity on the crustacean Daphnia magna and the green alga Raphidocelis subcapitata. These tests were chosen as required by the European REACH regulation. These three bio-oils were biodegradable, with 40-60% of biodegradation after 28 days, and had EC50 values above 100mgL(-1) for the crustacean and above 10mgL(-1) for the alga, showing low toxicity to the aquatic life. The toxic unit approach was applied to verify whether the observed toxicity could be predicted from the data available for the substances detected in the bio-oils. The predicted values largely underestimated the experimental values.
