Eco- and genotoxicity profiling of a rapeseed biodiesel using a battery of bioassays 1 Bettina Eck-Varanka 1 , Nora Kováts 1* , Eszter Horváth 1 , Árpád Ferincz 2 , Balázs Kakasi 3 , 2 Szabolcs Tamás Nagy 4 , Kornélia Imre 5 , Gábor Paulovits 6 3 1 University of Pannonia, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Egyetem str. 10, 8200 4 Veszprém, Hungary 5 2 Department of Aquaculture, Szent István University, Páter K. str. 1, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary 6 3 University of Pannonia, Research Institute of Biomolecular and Chemical Engineering, 7 Egyetem str. 10, 8200 Veszprém, Hungary 8 4 University of Pannonia, Georgikon Faculty, Department of Animal Sciences, Deák Ferenc 9 str. 16, 8360 Keszthely, Hungary 10 5 MTA-PE Air Chemistry Research Group, Egyetem str. 10, 8200 Veszprém, Hungary 11 6 Balaton Limnological Institute, Centre for Ecological Research, Hungarian Academy of 12 Sciences, Klebelsberg Kunó str. 3, 8237 Tihany, Hungary 13 14 * Corresponding author: Nora Kováts, e-mail: kovats@almos.uni-pannon.hu; Tel: +36 88 15 626116 16 17 Abstract 18 19 Biodiesel is considered an important renewable energy source but still there is some 20 controversy about its environmental toxicity, especially to aquatic life. In our study, the toxicity 21 of water soluble fraction of biodiesel was evaluated in relatively low concentrations using a 22 battery of bioassays: Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition, Sinapis alba root growth 23 inhibition, Daphnia magna immobilization, boar semen live/dead ratio and DNA fragmentation 24 and Unio pictorum micronucleus test. While the S. alba test indicated nutritive (stimulating) 25 effect of the sample, the biodiesel exerted toxic effect in the aquatic tests. D. magna was the 26 most sensitive with EC50 value of 0.0226%. For genotoxicity assessment, the mussel 27 micronucleus test (MNT) was applied, detecting considerable genotoxic potential of the 28 biodiesel sample: it elucidated micronuclei formation already at low concentration of 3.3%. 29 Although this test has never been employed in biodiesel eco/genotoxicity assessments, it seems 30 a promising tool, based on its appropriate sensitivity, and representativity. 31 32 Keywords: biodiesel; aquatic toxicity; bioluminescence inhibition; flow cytometry; Daphnia 33 immobilization test; micronucleus test 34