Four-hour algal bioassays for assessing the toxicity of coal-derived materials

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:5503254

Giddings, J M

As part of an overall program to assess the potential environmental hazards of coal conversion technologies, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a rapid bioassay to measure the effects of coal-derived materials on algal photosynthesis. Algal cultures or natural algal communities are exposed to the test materials for four hours. Photosynthesis is determined by the /sup 14/C-bicarbonate method during the final two hours of exposure and compared with controls for a measure of toxicity. In bioassays with individual aromatic compounds, quinones and aromatic amines were found to be particularly toxic to algae; azaarenes and thiophenes were the least toxic classes tested. Experiments with the water soluble fractions (WSFs) of more than twenty natural and synthetic oils showed that coal liquefaction products are considerably more toxic than petroleum products; shale oils are intermediate in toxicity. Further studies with particular subfractions of several WSFs have identified ether-soluble bases as the major contributors to the toxicity of coal-derived oils. The four-hour photosynthesis test has several advantages over the Algal Assay Bottle Test for measuring the toxicity of complex materials.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 5503254
• Report Number(s): CONF-800223-2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010900 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Environmental Aspects
04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
041000 -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Environmental Aspects
560302* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Microorganisms-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ALGAE
AROMATICS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOASSAY
CARBON 14
CARBON ISOTOPES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL EXTRACTS
COAL LIQUIDS
ENERGY SOURCES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MINERAL OILS
NUCLEI
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
PLANTS
QUINONES
RADIOISOTOPES
SHALE OIL
SYNTHESIS
SYNTHETIC FUELS
SYNTHETIC PETROLEUM
TOXICITY
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES