Analysis of sulfur compounds for crude oil fingerprinting using gas chromatography with sulfur chemiluminescence detector

Oil spills are a severe problem worldwide due to the resulting damage to marine and coastal ecosystems and to local economies. Identification of the source of spilled oils can be challenging, especially if the oils have un-dergone severe weathering. Due to their high durability, biomarker compounds (e.g. hopanes, steranes) are widely used for oil fingerprinting. Some sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds e.g. alkylated dibenzothio-phenes are also considered to be highly resistant. In this study, the use of Gas Chromatography with Sulfur Chemiluminescence Detection was investigated as a means of oil fingerprinting using the distribution the sulfur compounds in five different fresh and weathered crude oils. Chemometric analysis was also performed. The results indicate that the sulfur compounds distribution is unique for each crude oil. The distributions of the heavy sulfur compounds (i.e., C2DBTs and C3DBTs) are unchanged after weathering. Therefore, the GC-SCD technique can be considered to support the oil spill identification.

Automated summary

Oil spills cause significant damage to marine and coastal ecosystems as well as local economies worldwide. This study investigates the use of Gas Chromatography with Sulfur Chemiluminescence Detection for oil fingerprinting by analyzing the distribution of sulfur compounds in fresh and weathered crude oils. The results show that the distribution of sulfur compounds is unique for each type of crude oil, and the heavy sulfur compounds remain unchanged after weathering. Therefore, the GC-SCD technique can be used to support the identification of oil spills.