Abstract
As coal liquefaction processes approach commercialization in the United States, there is a growing need for information on their potential environmental impacts. Past oil spill experiences will not be adequate for predicting the effects of coal-derived oils, because the latter are chemically quite different from petroleum products. Using acute bioassay tests, a representative coal liquefaction product was compared with a petroluem-derived residual fuel oil and a diesel fuel, materials whose ecological effects have been documented following actual spills over the past 15 years. The acute toxicity of water soluble fractions (WSFs) of the three oils to two freshwater algae and one freshwater crustacean was determined. The WSFs were tested instead of the whole oils because (a) the water soluble components of an oil are responsible for most of its acute toxicity; and (b) while spilled oil can be contained and often recovered, the water with which it comes in contact will affect a larger area and for a longer time.
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