Abstract
Bioassays using Nitzschia closterium, a common Great Barrier Reef diatom, were carried out on Fischer Assay-produced retort waters and leachates of oil shale, spent shale and ashed shale. The abilities of spent and ashed shale and activated charcoal to remove the toxic components of retort water were also studied. Untreated retort waters were highly toxic to Nitzschia, growth being inhibited by concentrations as low as 0.01 % (100 ppm) of retort water in seawater. A large fraction of this toxicity can be eliminated by stripping the retort water with nitrogen or steam to remove ammonia and other volatile bases. The application of chemical classification schemes showed that most toxicity resided in the hydrophilic base fraction, with a smaller fraction being in the hydrophilic and hydrophobic acid fractions. Measurement of the toxicities of a large number of model compounds indicated that ammonia and aliphatic acids are the main toxic components of retort waters.
Published Version
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