Comparative measures of the toxicity of component chemicals in aircraft deicing fluid

Aircraft deicing operations are a necessary part of safe air travel, but release large quantities of aircraft deicing fluids (ADFs) to the environment. Effective measures to mitigate the environmental impacts of deicing operations are hindered because of the negative effects some ADF chemicals have on treatment systems and because of the poorly characterized toxicity of ADF components. This research investigated the contributions of environmentally significant concentrations of selected ADF components to the toxicity of ADF-containing waste streams, and to the inhibition of biodegradation of propylene glycol (PG), the most important component of ADE The component chemicals studied were PG, the corrosion inhibitor 4(5)-methylbenzotriazole (MeBT; common name: tolyltriazole), and proprietary mixes of corrosion inhibitors, buffers, and surfactants referred to as the additive package or AdPack. Relative to PG alone, the different additives increased the toxicity of ADF and decreased PG biodegradation rates. In enrichments of soil microorganisms acclimated to ADF, the MeBT component significantly decreased cell growth rates and yields, and inhibited PG biodegradation to a greater extent than the AdPack. Microtox((R)) tests indicated that MeBT is the ADF component most toxic to microorganisms. However, acute aquatic toxicity tests indicated that the AdPack components were more toxic than MeBT to Ceriodaphnia dubia and Pimephales promelas, although both components were more toxic than PG alone.