Fast Pyrolysis Bio-oil

PBT assessment

PBT assessment: overall result

PBT status:

the substance is not PBT / vPvB

Justification:

Fast Pyrolysis Bio-oil is a highly polar UVCB substance which also contains constituents of low polarity (5 – 20 wt-%) (Oasmaa & Peacocke 2010; Oasmaa et al 2003). Fast Pyrolysis Bio-oil may contain water up to 40 wt-%. The composition of and analytical data concerning this UVCB substance are presented in section 1.2 and attachment (Statement on the Group Level Composition of Fast Pyrolysis Bio-oil).

Although the full composition of Fast Pyrolysis Bio-oil (FPBO) itself on compound level is not known at this time, and for P and B there is no exact information on specific criteria for PBT assessment laid down in REACH Annex XIII, the conclusion from PBT assessment on basis of expert evaluation is that the substance is not PBT / vPvB.

Test results for ready biodegradability indicate that FPBO as a whole is inherently biodegradable, with a half-life of ~28 d. Based on this information, the substance is considered neither P nor vP. However, for UVCB substances that contain fractions of varying biodegradability, such parameters are not a good measure of persistence. The slowly degrading part of FPBO likely consists of compounds of high molecular weight, low water-solubility and/or several aromatic rings; when lignin-derived substances are excluded on basis of low toxicological concern, other potential P or vP substances (PAHs, sterols) have been analyzed in FPBO at < 0.5 wt-% in total.

A substance fulfils the toxicity criterion based on classification as carcinogenic (category 1B). There are no study results on carcinogenic properties, but the classification is due to amount and classification of a known component in Fast Pyrolysis Bio-oil (Formaldehyde < 0.5 %). However, the chronic toxicity values of FPBO to aquatic organisms do not support the classification as toxic.

Further testing concerning PBT assessment is not proposed at this point. As the composition of the substance will be studied more thorougly as soon as large-scale production has started, and more information will be available e.g. on the amount of sterols and PAH compounds in the substance, the need for further testing concerning PBT properties will be re-evaluated. Bioaccumulation tests for this UVCB substance are not technically feasible. Potentially bioaccumulative components of FPBO include long-chain fatty acids, sesquiterpenes, PAHs, and sterols, present in FPBO at ~4 wt-% in total. The potential of some constituents to bioaccumulate cannot be ruled out based on current knowledge on composition (see section 1.2) and BCF data on known components (data produced by EPIWIN model; US EPA 2000 -2012). Biodegradation of the whole substance has been tested as described above, but for the purposes of the PBT/vPvB assessment, the environmental fate of certain component fractions is more relevant. The potentially both vP and vB components of FPBO, according to our current understanding, are the PAH compounds (present in FPBO at 31.1 µg/g << 0.1 %) and phytosterols (present in FPBO at ~0.1 %).

REFERENCES:

Anja Oasmaa & Cordner Peacocke. Properties and fuel use of biomass-derived fast pyrolysis liquids. A guide. Espoo 2010. VTT Publications 731. 79 p. + app. 46 p.

Oasmaa, A., Kuoppala, E., Solantausta, Y., 2003.Fast Pyrolysis of Forestry Residue. 2. Physicochemical Composition of Product Liquid.Energy & Fuels,17, 433-443