Preliminary Differences in Composition and Cytotoxicity Between Diesel and Biodiesel Emissions

Authors

  • Patrick Kelley Keene State College
  • Tara Pratt Keene State College

Abstract

Biodiesel is widely perceived as a sustainable alternative fuel to petroleum diesel. Despite being considered environmentally friendly, there is little known regarding the toxicological responses from exposure to biodiesel particulate matter (PM) relative to diesel PM, especially from PM generated in 'real world' combustion operations. The composition of ‘real world’ biodiesel and diesel PM can include transition metals, and polar/nonpolar organic species, all of which can induce stress responses within an organism. Based on previous studies we know that transition metals, such as Fe and Ni, generate reactive oxygen species and may be associated with negative health effects. In this study, we evaluated the mass concentration and metals composition of biodiesel and diesel PM collected at a rural recycling center in Keene, NH. We also assessed cytotoxic effects in human lung cells exposed to the fuel particles. We determined differences in the fuel PM metal composition and cytotoxicity, with diesel PM exposure resulting in significantly higher cytotoxicity in the lung cells (compared to biodiesel PM) at the highest dose. Comparing chemical composition differences between biodiesel and diesel PM helps further our understanding of the toxicological impact of different fuel sources on human health.

 Faculty Mentor: Nora Traviss

Downloads

Published

2015-12-01

Issue

Section

Natural Sciences