Enhancement of oil forensic methodology through the addition of polycyclic aromatic nitrogen heterocycle biomarkers for diagnostic ratios

Current oil spill forensic identification of source oils relies upon hydrocarbon biomarkers resistant to weathering. This international technique was developed by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), under EN 15522–2 Oil Spill Identification guidelines. The number of biomarkers have exp...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental monitoring and assessment 2023-03, Vol.195 (3), p.416-416, Article 416
Main Authors: McCallum, Paige, Filewood, Taylor, Sawitsky, Julia, Kwok, Honoria, Brunswick, Pamela, Yan, Jeffrey, Chibwe, Leah, Tikkisetty, Krishnaja, Shang, Dayue
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alkylation
Aromatic compounds
Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution
Biomarkers
Chromatography
Climate change
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Ecotoxicology
Environment
Environmental Management
Environmental monitoring
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Environmental science
Forensic science
Forensic sciences
Hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbons - analysis
Identification
Instrumentation
Mass spectrometry
Mass spectroscopy
Monitoring/Environmental Analysis
Nitrogen
Nitrogen - analysis
Oil spills
Oils
Petroleum - analysis
Petroleum Pollution - analysis
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - analysis
Ratios
Scientific imaging
Standardization
Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
Weathering
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Current oil spill forensic identification of source oils relies upon hydrocarbon biomarkers resistant to weathering. This international technique was developed by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), under EN 15522–2 Oil Spill Identification guidelines. The number of biomarkers have expanded at pace with technological advances, while distinguishing new biomarkers becomes more challenging due to interference of isobaric compounds, matrix effects, and high cost of weathering experiments. Application of high-resolution mass spectrometry enabled exploration of potential polycyclic aromatic nitrogen heterocycle (PANH) oil biomarkers. The instrumentation showed reduction in isobaric and matrix interferences, allowing for identification of low-level PANH and alkylated PANHs (APANHs). Weathered oil samples, obtained from a marine microcosm weathering experiment, enabled comparison with source oils to identify new, stable forensic biomarkers. This study highlighted eight new APANH diagnostic ratios that expanded the biomarker suite, increasing the confidence for identifying highly weathered oils back to their source oil.
ISSN:0167-6369
1573-2959
DOI:10.1007/s10661-023-10941-3