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    Acute toxicity of aromatic and non-aromatic fractions of naphthenic acids extracted from oil sands process-affected water to larval zebrafish

    Access Status
    Fulltext not available
    Authors
    Scarlett, Alan
    Reinardy, H.
    Henry, T.
    West, C.
    Frank, R.
    Hewitt, L.
    Rowland, S.
    Date
    2013
    Type
    Journal Article
    
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    Citation
    Scarlett, A. and Reinardy, H. and Henry, T. and West, C. and Frank, R. and Hewitt, L. and Rowland, S. 2013. Acute toxicity of aromatic and non-aromatic fractions of naphthenic acids extracted from oil sands process-affected water to larval zebrafish. Chemosphere. 93 (2): pp. 415-420.
    Source Title
    Chemosphere
    DOI
    10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.05.020
    ISSN
    0045-6535
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/21040
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    The toxicity of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) has regularly been attributed to naphthenic acids, which exist in complex mixtures. If on remediation treatment (e.g., ozonation) or on entering the environment, the mixtures of these acids all behave in the same way, then they can be studied as a whole. If, however, some acids are resistant to change, whilst others are not, or are less resistant, it is important to establish which sub-classes of acids are the most toxic.In the present study we therefore assayed the acute toxicity to larval fish, of a whole acidified OSPW extract and an esterifiable naphthenic acids fraction, de-esterified with alkali: both fractions were toxic (LC50 ~5-8mgL-1). We then fractionated the acids by argentation solid phase extraction of the esters and examined the acute toxicity of two fractions: a de-esterified alicyclic acids fraction, which contained, for example, adamantane and diamantane carboxylic acids, and an aromatic acids fraction. The alicyclic acids were toxic (LC50 13mgL-1) but the higher molecular weight aromatic acids fraction was somewhat more toxic, at least on a weight per volume basis (LC50 8mgL-1; P<0.05) (for comparison, the monoaromatic dehydroabietic acid had a LC50 of ~1mgL-1).These results show how toxic naphthenic acids of OSPW are to these larval fish and that on a weight per volume basis, the aromatic acids are at least as toxic as the 'classical' alicyclic acids. The environmental fates and other toxic effects, if any, of the fractions remain to be established. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

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      The naphthenic acids of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) are said to be important toxicants. The major acids are stated to have alicyclic structures and recently, numerous of these have been identified, but some ...
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      Rowland, S.; West, C.; Jones, D.; Scarlett, Alan; Frank, R.; Hewitt, L. (2011)
      The large volumes, acute toxicity, estrogenicity, and antiandrogenicity of process-affected waters accruing in tailings ponds from the operations of the Alberta oil sands industries pose a significant task for environmental ...
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      Naphthenic acids are considered variously as monocarboxylic acids fitting the formula C nH 2n+zO 2 (where z is a zero or negative even integer), as only alicyclic (i.e. non-aromatic) monocarboxylic acids fitting this ...
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