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Oil in Water
Crude oil, which
is also called Petroleum, is found beneath the earth's surface
where it was formed millions of years ago by natural processes.
Crude oil is present in the environment as either oil in water
(emulsions) or dissolved oil in water (molecular). The detection
of crude oil is a parameter that managers, researchers and consultants
continue to add to their suite of measurements taken during
environmental monitoring projects. Its chemical structure is
mainly made up of 6-sided aromatic carbon rings, which are highly
fluorescent, therefore it can be detected quite easily using
fluorescence techniques. Determining the fluorescence of oil
in aquatic environments further improves the optical characterization
of the water column.
Refining crude oil by fractional
distillation produces refined oils (fuels) such as Gasoline,
Kerosene, Jet Fuel, Naphtha, Motor oil, etc. Many of the products,
which come from this refining process, are carcinogenic and
contain volatile organic compounds (VOC's) such as benzene,
toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene. These compounds are harmful
to humans/animals and when present in lakes, rivers, streams,
etc, they are a major public health risk. Monitoring of aquatic
environments for refined oils (fuels) is another way to provide
awareness of increasing contaminations so that protocols may
be implemented to avoid hazardous situations.
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