Call for tender 1

Title:
In silico toxicological assessment of ethanol-blended gasoline exhaust

Maximum cost:
30 000 EUR

Call deadline:
20 Aug 2013

Duration:
25 Aug 2013 – 31 Oct 2015

Description of subject:
The exhaust toxicity from vehicles fuelled with ethanol-blended gasoline shall be assessed. The assessments, including the toxicity impacts of relevant additives usage, shall be conducted through a combination of literature reviews and molecular dynamics simulations.

Detailed description:
Study of the chemistry involved:

  • Bioethanol fuel components and their chemical properties
  • Combustion products and by products
  • Particles, including nanoparticles, PM10, PM2.5, PM1.0
  • Aggregates of particles
  • Aerosol properties and migration patterns

Review of previous in vivo and in vitro studies of health effects:

  • Effects on lung and airways
  • Effects on the cardiovascular system
  • Effects of chemical by-products of DNA and cells
  • Other effects

Assessments of environmental effects:

  • Estimated and reported half life of particles and chemical by-products in circulation in the
  • environment.
  • The experience of other countries with environmental issues on bioethanol.
  • Computer simulations of substances or particles and their interaction properties
  • Statistics of concentrations and tresholds from other countries.


Evaluation criteria:
Experience of the proposer
Soundness of methodological approach
Cost-efficiency of work planned

Scoring:
Experience 0-5 (Threshold 3, Weight 2)
Method 0-5 (Threshold 3.5, Weight 3)
Cost 0-5 (Threshold 3, Weight 2.5)

Contact:
Otto Andersen, Stiftinga Vestlandsforsking / Western Norway Research Institute (WNRI). oan@vestforsk.no, telephone: +47 977 10 928