Emission Factors of CO<sub>2</sub> and Airborne Pollutants and Toxicological Potency of Biofuels for Airplane Transport: A Preliminary Assessment
Maurizio Gualtieri,
Massimo Berico,
Maria Giuseppa Grollino,
Giuseppe Cremona,
Teresa La Torretta,
Antonella Malaguti,
Ettore Petralia,
Milena Stracquadanio,
Massimo Santoro,
Barbara Benassi,
Antonio Piersanti,
Andrea Chiappa,
Manuele Bernabei,
Gabriele Zanini
Affiliations
Maurizio Gualtieri
ENEA, Division of Models and Technologies for Risk Reduction, Via Martiri di Monte Sole 4, 40146 Bologna, Italy
Massimo Berico
ENEA, Division of Models and Technologies for Risk Reduction, Via Martiri di Monte Sole 4, 40146 Bologna, Italy
Maria Giuseppa Grollino
ENEA, Division of Health Protection Technologies, Via Anguillarese, 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
Giuseppe Cremona
ENEA, Division of Models and Technologies for Risk Reduction, Via Martiri di Monte Sole 4, 40146 Bologna, Italy
Teresa La Torretta
ENEA, Division of Models and Technologies for Risk Reduction, Via Martiri di Monte Sole 4, 40146 Bologna, Italy
Antonella Malaguti
ENEA, Division of Models and Technologies for Risk Reduction, Via Martiri di Monte Sole 4, 40146 Bologna, Italy
Ettore Petralia
ENEA, Division of Models and Technologies for Risk Reduction, Via Martiri di Monte Sole 4, 40146 Bologna, Italy
Milena Stracquadanio
ENEA, Division of Models and Technologies for Risk Reduction, Via Martiri di Monte Sole 4, 40146 Bologna, Italy
Massimo Santoro
ENEA, Division of Health Protection Technologies, Via Anguillarese, 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
Barbara Benassi
ENEA, Division of Health Protection Technologies, Via Anguillarese, 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
Antonio Piersanti
ENEA, Division of Models and Technologies for Risk Reduction, Via Martiri di Monte Sole 4, 40146 Bologna, Italy
Andrea Chiappa
Italian Air Force, Aerospatial Testing Division, Aerospace Materials and Technology Department, Aeroporto Militare de Bernardi 00071 Pratica di Mare, Pomezia, 00040 Rome, Italy
Manuele Bernabei
Italian Air Force, Aerospatial Testing Division, Aerospace Materials and Technology Department, Aeroporto Militare de Bernardi 00071 Pratica di Mare, Pomezia, 00040 Rome, Italy
Gabriele Zanini
ENEA, Division of Models and Technologies for Risk Reduction, Via Martiri di Monte Sole 4, 40146 Bologna, Italy
Aviation is one of the sectors affecting climate change, and concerns have been raised over the increase in the number of flights all over the world. To reduce the climate impact, efforts have been dedicated to introducing biofuel blends as alternatives to fossil fuels. Here, we report environmentally relevant data on the emission factors of biofuel/fossil fuel blends (from 13 to 17% v/v). Moreover, in vitro direct exposure of human bronchial epithelial cells to the emissions was studied to determine their potential intrinsic hazard and to outline relevant lung doses. The results show that the tested biofuel blends do not reduce the emissions of particles and other chemical species compared to the fossil fuel. The blends do reduce the elemental carbon (less than 40%) and total volatile organic compounds (less than 30%) compared to fossil fuel emissions. The toxicological outcomes show an increase in oxidative cellular response after only 40 min of exposure, with biofuels causing a lower response compared to fossil fuels, and lung-deposited doses show differences among the fuels tested. The data reported provide evidence of the possibility to reduce the climate impact of the aviation sector and contribute to the risk assessment of biofuels for aviation.
