Registration Dossier
Registration Dossier
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EC number: 269-110-6 | CAS number: 68187-58-6 The residue from the distillation of thermal cracked or steam-cracked residuum and/or catalytic cracked clarified oil with a softening point from 40°C to 180°C (104°F to 356°F). Composed primarily of a complex combination of three or more membered condensed ring aromatic hydrocarbons.
Endpoint summary
Administrative data
Description of key information
Additional information
The substance pitch, petroleum, arom. (petro pitch) is a UVCB and consists of a complex combination of highly condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Only a fraction of ca. 25 % of the substance will evaporate at a distillation temperature up to 500 °C. In a gas chromatographic analysis, 4 % of the substances present can be identified. This fraction comprises polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with predominantly 3- and higher membered (up to 6) rings. Concentrations are in the range of < 0.1 to 0.5 %. Benzo[a]pyrene concentration is approx. 0.14 % amounting to ca 3.4 % of the identifiable fraction of substances in petro pitch.
Emissions from petro pitch that may arise during processing and uses consist of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). These may constitute a hazard for men and environment. For the purpose of risk assessment, benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), one of the best characterised and most toxic key components, has been chosen as marker substance as it is considered to be representative of effects caused by petro pitch.
Water solubility
The water solubility of petro pitch is significantly below 1 mg C/L (approx. 0.4 mg C/L at a loading of 1000 mg/L). Originating from comparable feedstocks (tar materials) processed under comparable technical conditions (high-temperature distillation), the structural and physico-chemical properties of the two pitch types pitch, coal tar, high-temp. and pitch, petroleum, arom. are very similar; hence it is concluded that constituents of petro pitch are neither freely available like in coal-tar pitch:
After a 39fold weekly elution of powdered pitch, coal tar, high-temp. (structure analogue) from a percolation column, the total cumulative amount of water-extractable EPA PAHs amounted to approx. 370 µg/10g (= ~ 0.004 %). The water-soluble fraction of single PAHs remained far below their theoretical water solubility, which confirms that freely available PAHs got gradually depleted.
After eluting 100 mg/L of coal-tar pitch in a cycling system, less than 2 µg/L of 16 EPA-PAH were measured in the eluate.
Stability / Degradation
Petro pitch is highly stable under environmental conditions: It is not volatile, not hydrolysable, and not biodegradable.
Bioaccumulation
As petro pitch consists of a high-molecular chemical matrix structure that is highly water-insoluble, the material cannot pass biological membranes due to its complex matrix structure, and hence is not bioaccumulating.
Distribution
Pitch particles are expected to interfere and mix with sediment and soil matter with no or little tendency of mobility.
Information on Registered Substances comes from registration dossiers which have been assigned a registration number. The assignment of a registration number does however not guarantee that the information in the dossier is correct or that the dossier is compliant with Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (the REACH Regulation). This information has not been reviewed or verified by the Agency or any other authority. The content is subject to change without prior notice.
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