Abstract
Fuel adulteration is a major factor contributing to environmental pollution. The tendency to adulterate diesel oil with kerosene is becoming prevalent in many countries, which is particularly driven by the lower cost of kerosene than of diesel oil. The objective of this study is to develop a method of separating and discriminating between different compositions of kerosene in binary liquid fuel mixtures. In this study, we have utilized refractive indices of binary fuel mixtures measured using an Abbe refractometer, and the inversion of measured transmittance spectra in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) spectral range by a general method based on Kramers–Kronig dispersion analysis, where the singly subtractive Kramers–Kronig relations have been used to obtain the wavelength-dependent imaginary excess permittivity of a binary liquid mixture. The excess permittivity has considerable importance in the interpretation of different liquid molecule interactions in binary liquid mixtures. It is herein demonstrated that the problematic cases of relatively low adulterations of 5% and 10% can be detected and distinguished from 15% adulteration using imaginary optical properties in the NIR spectral range. We show that imaginary optical constants such as excess imaginary permittivity and the extinction coefficient are useful for not only screening for adulteration, but also discriminating and separating low from high kerosene compositions in mixtures. Moreover, these quantities can also be exploited for the development of practical sensors, especially for sensing diesel oil adulteration under field conditions.
Highlights
Liquid fuel adulteration is becoming a common problem in many countries
We report, to the best of our knowledge, the first ever study on liquid fuel adulteration based on imaginary excess permittivity focusing on diesel oil adulteration with different volume fractions of kerosene
We have studied the wavelength dependence of the imaginary optical properties of diesel oils adulterated with different volume fractions of kerosene in the NIR spectral range using general dispersion analysis based on Kramers–Kronig analysis
Summary
Liquid fuel adulteration is becoming a common problem in many countries. This unethical practice is carried out to increase profit. The underlying reason for this practice is the uneven taxation system for different liquid fuels, where kerosene is generally subsidized, while diesel and gasoline have the higher tax rates. This illegal practice leads to adverse effects such as damage to engines, loss of taxation. The most common form of fuel adulteration in many parts of the world is to add kerosene to either diesel oils or gasoline These fuels consist of hydrocarbons, which have spectral fingerprints in the near-infrared (NIR) spectral region. It is possible to perform these measurements in the field Both spectral and non-spectral optical measurement methods have been proposed as methods for screening adulterated fuel [3,4,5,6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
