Evaluation of biodiesel’s impact on real-world occupational and environmental particulate matter exposures at a municipal facility in Keene, NH

• Published in: Air quality, atmosphere and health atmosphere and health, 2012-03, Vol.5 (1), p.101-114
• Main Authors: Traviss, Nora, Thelen, Brett Amy, Ingalls, Jaime Kathryn, Treadwell, Melinda Dawn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air pollution; Air quality; Airborne particulates; Atmospheric pollution; Atmospheric pollution by diesel engines; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Biodiesel fuels; Biofuels; Carbon; Carcinogens; Diesel engines; Diesel fuels; Earth and Environmental Science; Emissions; Employment; Energy sources; Engines; Environment; Environmental Health; Epidemiology; Exposure; Fuels; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Health risks; Human exposure; Lung diseases; Materials recovery; Mortality; Occupational hazards; Organic carbon; Outdoor air quality; Particle size; Particulate matter; Particulate matter emissions; Particulates; Petroleum; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Road construction; Studies; Sulfur content; Trucking industry; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; Working groups
• ISSN: 1873-9318; 1873-9326
• DOI: 10.1007/s11869-011-0141-8

Many organizations are interested in biodiesel as a renewable, domestic energy source for use in transportation and heavy-duty equipment. Although numerous biodiesel emission studies exist, biodiesel exposure studies are nearly absent from the literature. This study compared the impact of petroleum diesel fuel and a B20 blend (20% soy-based biodiesel/80% petroleum diesel) on occupational and environmental exposures at a rural municipal facility in Keene, NH. For each fuel type, we measured concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), elemental carbon (EC), and organic carbon (OC) at multiple locations (in-cabin, work area, and near-field) at a materials recovery facility utilizing non-road equipment. B20 fuel use resulted in significant reductions in PM 2.5 mass (56–76%), reductions in EC (5–29%), and increases in OC (294–467%). Concentrations of PM 2.5 measured during petroleum diesel use were up to four times higher than PM 2.5 concentrations during B20 use. Further analysis of the EC and OC fractions of total carbon also indicated substantial differences between fuels. Our results demonstrate that biodiesel blends significantly reduced PM 2.5 exposure compared to petroleum diesel fuel in a workplace utilizing non-road construction-type equipment. While this suggests that biodiesel may reduce health risks associated with exposure to fine particulate matter mass, more exposure research is needed to better understand biodiesel-related changes in particulate matter composition and other exposure metrics.