Comparative Analysis of the Quality of Petroleum Products from Different Sources in Sapele, Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Adulteration is the illegal addition of any foreign substance into motor Gasoline / high speed diesel. Adulteration maybe due to a long storage period. fuel quality can widely evolve and be different from its initial quality. Aim: Physicochemical analysis was carried out on different petroleum products (namely, gasoline, kerosene and diesel) from different petrol stations/sales outlets, to determine their quality. Methods: The physical chemical parameters investigated were specific gravity, pour point, API gravity, viscosity, flash point, fire point and cloud point. The test was carried out using standard procedures of American society for testing and materials (ASTM). Results: The result shows that physical chemical parameters investigated fell short of the ASTM standard range for a good number of the petroleum products, suggestive of adulteration. Conclusion: Given that petroleum products are generally imported into the country, the source of adulteration could not be determined since samples were collected only at petrol stations/sales outlets.