The best I can findout about the "Environmental Impact of Butanol" is that it is nothing like MTBE.
If spilled when filling it evaporates very quickly and is not expected
to get into ground water as MTBE did in California.
It would be good to compare the following information with those facts known about gasoline and diesel.
Butanol might be easier to work with then gasoline and cleaner than dielsel. Butanol leaves less mess (no oil residue after evaporation).
No long term studies have been taken on at this time to determine the real ground water effects of using butanol as a general transportation fuel and safe reforming source for hydrogen in the fuel cell paradigm of the future.
Environmental
Impact
Release of
n-butanol to the environment is expected to result from its use as a solvent in
a variety of products ans as a fuel. It may also be released by the action of anaerobic
microorganisms. Release of n-butanol to soil may result in volatilization from
the soil surface and biodegradation is expected to be significant. n-Butanol
should not bind strongly to soil and so is expected to leach into groundwater.
Release of n-butanol to water is expected to result in biodegradation and in
volatilization from the water surface.
Photooxidation by
hydroxyl radicals is expected to be slow. Bioconcentration is not expected to
be significant. Vapor phase n-butanol in the atmosphere is expected to react
with photochemically generated hydroxyl radicals with a half-life of 1.2
(experimental)-2.3 (estimated) days. Human exposure to n-butanol is expected to
result primarily from contact with products containing the compound.
Environmental Fate
TERRESTRIAL FATE:
When released to soil, n-butanol is expected to leach to groundwater or to
biodegrade. Volatilization from the soil surface may also occur.
AQUATIC FATE: In
water, n-butanol is expected to biodegrade. Volatilization from the water
surface is expected to occur with estimated half-lives of 2.4 hr, 3.9 hr and
125.9 days in streams, rivers and lakes . The actual tendency of n-butanol to
volatilize depends upon the temperature, turbulence, wind speed, current
velocity and the depth of the water bodies. n-Butanol is not expected to bind
strongly to suspended sediments. Bioconcentration is not expected to be
significant. The rate of the reaction between hydroxyl radicals and n-butanol
in water is 2.2X10 9 l/mol sec . Assuming an hydroxyl radical concentration of
1X10-17 M in water, this corresponds to a half-life of about 1 year(2,SRC).
ATMOSPHERIC FATE:
The rate constant for the reaction between n-butanol and hydroxyl radicals is
6.8X10-10 cc/molecule sec . Using a hydroxyl radical concentration of 1X10 6
molecule/cc, the half-life was calculated to be 1.2 days . The half-life of
n-butanol in a sunlit urban atmosphere was estimated to be 5 hr . The half-life
for the reaction of vapor phase n-butanol in the atmosphere with
photochemically generated hydroxyl radicals was estimated to be 2.30 days .
Drinking Water
Impact
SURFACE WATER: Tatsuno
City, Japan -
318 ppb . n-Butanol was detected but not quantified in water samples from Lake
Ontario . EFFL: Effluents from an
unidentified petrochemical company contained about 16.0 mg/l n-butanol and
discharged approximately 90 lbs n-butanol/day . In yr-old leachate of
artificial sanitary landfill: 0.21 g/l
|
