Ashes (residues), cenospheres

Toxicity to terrestrial plants

Link to relevant study record(s)

Reference

Reference 1

Endpoint:

toxicity to terrestrial plants: short-term

Type of information:

migrated information: read-across from supporting substance (structural analogue or surrogate)

Adequacy of study:

key study

Reliability:

2 (reliable with restrictions)

Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:

other: Guideline study with acceptable restrictions

Qualifier:

according to guideline

Guideline:

other: ISO 11269-2 (1995)

GLP compliance:

no

Remarks:

Test were performed to fulfill the requirements of 2000/532/EG and Dir 91/689/EEC, GLP was not required for that purpose

Analytical monitoring:

no

Vehicle:

no

Details on preparation and application of test substrate:

- for each dilution step in total 7200 g of mixture containing the corresponding amount of ash and soil was prepared
- each testing vessel was filled with 900 g (± 10 g) of this mixture

Species:

Avena sativa

Plant group:

Monocotyledonae (monocots)

Details on test organisms:

- Common name: oat
- Variety: ARAGON
- Source of seed: Saat-Union GmbH, Iserhagen

Species:

Brassica napus

Plant group:

Dicotyledonae (dicots)

Details on test organisms:

- Common name: rape
- Variety: LIFORUM
- Source of seed: LUFA, Speyer

Test type:

early seedling growth toxicity test

Study type:

laboratory study

Substrate type:

artificial soil

Limit test:

no

Total exposure duration:

14 d

Remarks:

starting after emergence of 50% of control plants

Test temperature:

23 ± 3 °C

Moisture:

soil/substrate mixture in test vessels was moisturised with 100 mL per 900 g

Details on test conditions:

TEST SYSTEM
- Testing facility: ECT Oekotoxikologie GmbH, Flörsheim am Main, Germany
- Test container (type, material, size): plastic cups (Göttinger Pflanztöpfe) , 120x120x120 mm
- Amount of soil: 900 ± 10 g (fresh weight)
- Method of seeding: seeds were sown with tweezers in a depth of 1 cm
- No. of seeds per container: 10
- No. of plants (retained after thinning): 5
- No. of replicates per treatment group: 4
- No. of replicates per control: 4


SOURCE AND PROPERTIES OF SUBSTRATE (if soil)
- Composition (if artificial substrate): no data
- Artificial soil: LUFA Standardboden 2.3 (standard soil)


NUTRIENT MEDIUM (if used)
- Description: Substral plant nutrition (Scotts Celaflor GmbH und Co KG, Ingelheim)
- Dilution: 70 mL of fertiliser/10 L deionised water
- Application: once


GROWTH CONDITIONS
- Photoperiod: 16 h light / 8 h dark
- Light intensity and quality: 13000 ± 2000 lx
- Relative humidity (%): 40 - 50
- Watering regime and schedules:
- Water source/type: deionised water
- Volume applied: 100 mL
- Interval of applications: once
- Method of application: test vessel was placed in a water reservoir


EFFECT PARAMETERS MEASURED (with observation intervals if applicable):
- fresh weight, shoot length (above-ground), visual toxic effects (chlorosis, necrosis, deformation)

Nominal and measured concentrations:

see table 1 in "any other information on materials and methods incl. tables"

Reference substance (positive control):

no

Species:

Avena sativa

Duration:

14 d

Dose descriptor:

EC50

Effect conc.:

> 1 000 g/kg soil dw

Nominal / measured:

nominal

Conc. based on:

test mat.

Basis for effect:

growth

Remarks on result:

other: dilution: > 1/2

Species:

Brassica napus

Duration:

14 d

Dose descriptor:

EC50

Effect conc.:

> 1 000 g/kg soil dw

Nominal / measured:

nominal

Conc. based on:

test mat.

Basis for effect:

growth

Remarks on result:

other: dilution: > 1/2

Table 2: Reduction of fresh weight of Avena sativa and Brassica napus after 14 days

dilution		1/64	1/32	1/16	1/8	1/6	1/4	1/3	1/2	100% ash
reduction of weight [%]	Avena sativa	-	-	-	-	-	5	7.3	34.6	65.3*
	Brassica napus	-	-	-	-18.9	-	-	-3.02	40.2	-

* instead of pure ash (100% ash) a mixture of 71% ash and 29% soil was tested

Conclusions:

EC50 could not be determined as even at the highest test concentration growth rate was not reduced by 50%. For both test species Avena sativa and Brassica napus EC50 is beyond 1000 g/kg soil d.w..

Reference 2

Endpoint:

toxicity to terrestrial plants: long-term

Data waiving:

other justification

Justification for data waiving:

other:

Description of key information

EC50 could not be determined as even at the highest test concentration growth rate was not reduced by 50%. For both test species Avena sativa and Brassica napus EC50 is beyond 1000 g/kg soil d.w..

Additional information

On behalf of the VGB PowerTech e. V. the toxicity of ashes to plants was assessed by Roembke (2008) according to the ISO 11269-2 (1995). During an exposure period of 14 days the plant species Avena sativa and Brassica napus were exposed to different concentrations of fly ash in soil.

The tested fly ash (FA1) was structural related to ash (residues), cenospheres and as cenospheres are a component of fly ash, these results can be used as read across.

Fly ashes showed no or only slight growth reduction at concentration of greater than 1000 g/kg soil d. w. EC50 could not be determined as even at the highest test concentration growth rate was not reduced by 50%. For both test species Avena sativa and Brassica napus EC50 is beyond 1000 g/kg soil d. w.