Chemical Evaluation on Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon Composition in Freshwater and Saltwater Media Using Gas Chromatographic Analysis
Keywords:
Bioremediation, Environment,, GC Analysis, Temperature, TPHAbstract
Temperature is a critical factor influencing the fate, distribution, and persistence of petroleum hydrocarbons in aquatic environments. This study investigates the effect of temperature and exposure time on the compositional variation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in saltwater and freshwater media using gas chromatography (GC). Crude oil-contaminated water samples were subjected to controlled temperatures ranging from 15 to 120°C and analyzed at 1-hour and 6-hour exposure intervals. GC results revealed distinct temperature-dependent changes in hydrocarbon profiles, characterized by the progressive depletion of low-molecular-weight alkanes (C8–C12) and the relative persistence of higher-carbon fractions (C20–C31). At lower temperatures (15–30°C), mid-range hydrocarbons such as n-undecane (C11), n-decane (C10), and n-tridecane (C13) dominated the TPH composition. As the temperature increased to 45–75°C, isoprenoids such as pristane (Pr) and phytane (Ph) became increasingly dominant, indicating preferential volatilization and degradation of straight-chain alkanes. At elevated temperatures (90–120°C), the hydrocarbon spectrum narrowed significantly, with TPH profiles dominated by Pr, C20, C27, and C31 fractions. The findings demonstrate that temperature and exposure duration play decisive roles in controlling hydrocarbon fractionation and environmental persistence, with important implications for oil spill modeling, remediation strategies, and ecological risk assessment in aquatic systems.
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