On-Site Analytical Tool Based on Crude Oil Fluorescence
and Chemometrics for the Rapid Determination of the Nature and Essential
Properties of Oil Spills
posted on 2024-02-01, 06:45authored byMaria Mansurova, Sergej Johann, Harald Kohlhoff, Knut Rurack, Matthias Bartholmai, Jérémy Bell
With the reduction
of large oil spills because of stricter regulations
and safety measures, the question of how to manage smaller oil spills
arises. Few on-site analytical tools are available for first responders
or other law enforcement personnel to rapidly test for crude oil in
the early management of localized polluted areas. The approach reported
here relies on well-described computer-assisted multivariate data
analysis of the intrinsic fluorescence fingerprints of crude oils
to build a multivariate model for the rapid classification of crude
oils and the prediction of their properties. Thanks to a dedicated
robust portable reader, the method allowed classification and accurate
prediction of various properties of crude oil samples like density
(according to API, the American Petroleum Institute and viscosity
as well as composition parameters such as volume fractions of paraffins
or aromatics. In this way, autonomous operation in on-site or in-the-field
applications becomes possible based on the direct (undiluted and untreated)
measurement of samples and a rapid, tablet-operated readout system
to yield a robust and simple analytical test with superior performance.
Testing in real-life scenarios allowed the successful classification
and prediction of a number of oil spill samples as well as weathered
samples
that closely resemble samples collected by first responders.