Using Multiple Criteria for Fingerprinting Unknown Oil Samples Having Very Similar Chemical Composition

Abstract

This paper describes a case study in which a multi-criterion approach was used to fingerprinting and identifying mystery oil samples. Three unknown oil samples were received from Quebec on March 28, 2001 for chemical analysis. The main purpose of this analysis was to detemine the nature and the type of the products, detailed hydrocarbon composition of the samples, and whether these samples came from the same source. The samples were analyzed by gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Hydrocarbon distribution patterns of unknown oils were recognized. Multiple suites of analytes were quantified and compared. A variety of diagnostic ratios of "source-specific marker" compounds for interpreting chemical data were further determined and analyzed. The chemical fingerprinting results reveal the following: (1) These three oils are most likely a hydraulic-fluid type oil. (2) These three oils are very "pure", largely composed of saturated hydrocarbons with the total aromatics being only 4-10% of the TPH. (3) The oils are a mixture of two different hydraulic fluids. There is no clear sign indicating they had been weathered. (4) The PAH concentrations are extremely low (<10 µg/g oil) in the oil samples, while the biomarker concentration are unusually high (4700-5500 µ/g oil). (5) Three major unknown compounds in the oil samples were positively identified. They are antioxidant compounds added to oils. (6) Samples 2996 and 2997 are identical and come from the same source. (7) The sample 2998 has group hydrocarbon compositions (including the GC traces, TPH, and total saturates) very similar to samples 2996 and 2997. But, it is not identical in chemical composition to samples 2996 and 2997, and they do not come from the same source.