Barley growth in coal liquid and diesel liquid fuels from coal and oil: A comparison of potential toxic effects on Barley

Abstract

The production of new liquid fuels from coal creates the potential for environmental releases of new products and waste materials via spills or leaching of material from waste storage areas. The chemical composition of these products and waste materials suggests possible toxic effects upon exposed plants and animals. In this study, barley was grown in field lysimeters containing three concentrations (0.07, 0.74, 7.421 m−2 equivalent to 80, 800, and 8000 gal/acre, respectively) of a sample product blend of Solvent Refined Coal (SRC) heavy and middle distillates. Three methods of soil amendment simulated possible spill clean-up alternatives: adding the coal liquid as a surface layer, as a subsurface layer covered by uncontaminated soil, or intermixed with the top 1 dm of soil. To permit comparison of the coal liquid with familiar commercial material, the study protocol was followed simultaneously in lysimeters amended with # 2 diesel fuel. Statistically significant reductions in grain yield were observed for both the SRC and diesel materials for all methods of soil amendment at concentrations equivalent to 0.74 and 7.421 m−2, and for the SRC material only when mixed with soil at a concentration equivalent to 0.071 m−2. Where differences between fuel types were observed, the coal liquid was consistently more toxic.