Gasoline Service Stations Research Articles

Assessing the Impact of Petrol Service Stations on Selected Physico-Chemical Water Quality Parameters within Port Harcourt Metropolis, Nigeria

Assessing the Impact of Petrol Service Stations on Selected Physico-Chemical Water Quality Parameters within Port Harcourt Metropolis, Nigeria

Species profiles, in-situ photochemistry and health risk of volatile organic compounds in the gasoline service station in China

Accompanying with increases in vehicle population and gasoline consumption, gasoline evaporation accounted for an enlarged portion of total volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions in China, raising increasing environmental concerns especially in megacities. In this study, an intensive sampling campaign was performed in a gasoline service station, to reveal emission characteristics, environmental and health impacts of VOCs. It was strikingly found that 24 % of air samples exceeded the national standard of 4 mg/m3 for non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) on the boundary of the station, with the equipment of Stage I and II controls. VOC groups and species profiles showed that alkanes dominated total VOCs. As typical markers of evaporative loss of gasoline, C4–5 species (i-pentane, n-pentane and n-butane) as well as methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) accounted for 49.6 % of VOCs. Species profile and diagnostic ratios indicated the prominent contribution of gasoline evaporative losses from refueling or breathing processes, as well as the interference of vehicle exhaust in the ambient air at the site. Intensive O3 production was reproduced by the photochemical box model, demonstrating that O3 formation was co-limited by both VOCs (especially trans-2-butene) and NOx. Inhalation health risk assessment proved that exposure to hazardous VOCs caused non-cancer risk (HQ = 3.08) and definitely posed cancer risks at a probability of 1.3 × 10−4 to workers. Remarkable health risks were mainly imposed by halocarbons, aromatics and alkenes, in which 1,2-dichloropropane caused the highest non-cancer risk (HQ = 1.3) and acted as the primary carcinogen (ICR = 5.1 × 10−5). This study elucidated the high unqualified rate in gasoline service stations after the implementation of latest standards in China, where new regulations targeted halocarbons and updates in existing vapor recovery systems were suggested for VOC mitigation.

Blending Methanol as a Renewable Fuel in Automotive Industries towards Minimizing Vehicular Air Pollution

Methanol (CH3OH) and ethanol (C2H5OH) have came to limelight now-a-days because of their property of less polluting emittants and thought of as extremely economical due to its swish operative capacity. Low particulate level and soot free emission can also be obtained due to presence of oxygen in these fuels. We can obtain a considerable fuel efficiency and sound mileage if we double the carbon in ethanol which contains more energy. The structure is more similar to iso-butanol. Iso-butanol is unique in alcoholic fuels due to its equatorial affinity for water. The worldwide energy policy also aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions occurred due to traditional fuels and thus developing renewable energy became an important part of this policy. Now-a-days transport sector has decreased its reliance on oil which generally contributes to hazardous environmental impact and to achieve this some alternative transport fuels such as biofuels, hydrogen and natural gas emerged up as a helping hand. Blending methanol into diesel and gasoline permits the mixture to possess an entire combustion with the presence of oxygen which increases its combustion efficiency and reduces greenhouse gas emission. Gasohol- a blend of gasoline and 10%methanol is available at plenty of petrol service stations as a regular automobile fuel within the United States. Brazil has successfully implemented and used methanol in terms of spark ignition engine operations as a fuel. Methanol has emerged up as a sustainable fuel for IC engines in past few decades because of its characteristics of soot free burning and higher efficiencies at less cost. The European Union decided to set 10% requirement of renewable energy in transport sector which is to be compiled with by 2020. In 2010, the transport sector utilized 4.70% of renewable energy out of which 91% was covered by biofuels.

Detailed Data and Changes in Market Structure: The Move to Unmanned Gasoline Service Stations

We illustrate the impact of detailed data in empirical economic research by considering how the increased data availability has changed the scope and focus of studies on retail gasoline pricing. We show how high-volume, high-frequency price data help to identify and explain long-term trends using original data for the Dutch retail gasoline market. We find that 22% of the observed increase in the highway/off-highway price gap can be explained by the trend towards more unmanned stations; another 13% can be explained by major-to-nonmajor re-brandings. In one of the first applications of event study analysis to non-financial price data, we show that the adjustment to the new, lower price level is almost immediate in case of manned-to-unmanned conversions but takes one to two months in case of major-to-non-major rebrandings. The impact of both events is asymmetric with no measurable price impact of changes in the opposite direction.

Efecto genotóxico de las mezclas complejas de hidrocarburos en trabajadores de estaciones de servicio de gasolina

Resumen Objetivo: Evaluar el efecto genotoxico de las mezclas complejas de hidrocarburos en los trabajadores de estaciones de servicio de gasolina en Barranquilla (Atlantico, Colombia) a traves de la prueba Cometa ( CA ) alcalina. Materiales y metodos: Se realizo un estudio transversal, prospectivo inferencial de casos y controles. El grupo control estuvo conformado por 15 personas no expuestas laboralmente a hidrocarburos y el expuesto por 38 personas que trabajaron al menos 1 ano como despa-chador de combustible. Se realizo un ensayo cometa alcalino en sangre venosa. Se determino el efecto genotoxico utilizando el porcentaje de ADN en la cola y por Unidades Arbitrarias de dano. La comparacion entre grupos se realizo por la prueba t-student o W -Wilcoxon. Los datos fueron modelados con una regresion simple ajustada. Los analisis de datos fueron realizados con el paquete estadistico R . Resultados: Las edades de los grupos control y experimental fueron de 33±9 y 38±10 anos, respectivamente; no hubo diferencia estadisticamente significativa para esta variable (t = -1.82; p-valor ≥ 0,05;

EXEMPTION PROVISIONS AND THE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT, 2008: SOME PRELIMINARY COMMENTS

Suppliers have found it most convenient to reduce their risk of liability by inserting a provision in their contracts with consumers – be it in a written and signed contract or in the form of a displayed notice – in terms of which suppliers are exempted from liabilities they would otherwise be obliged to accept. Exemption of liability provisions are often contained in standard-form contracts but also in notices displayed at public venues such as hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, parking garages, entertainment complexes, tourist attractions and even petrol-service stations. The same may probably be said of a host of other suppliers, including suppliers of tourism services. It is not surprising, therefore, that a significant factor in the development of consumer law in general can be “ascribed to legislative responses to business disclaimers of accountability for negative consequences attendant upon their dealings with consumers”.The Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA) introduced a number of provisions which impact on the use by suppliers of provisions that aim to exclude the liability of suppliers for harm to consumers caused through the negligence of the supplier. The CPA defines a supplier in section 1 as: “a person who markets any goods or services”. To market is defined as: “to promote or supply any goods or services”.This note seeks to provide a conceptual framework for the understanding and application of relevant provisions of the CPA to exemption provisions. The impact is considered within the context of the tourism industry in order to illustrate some of the practical consequences of the CPA on the use of exemption provisions. The note does not seek to question whether exemption provisions are contrary to public policy per se.

Optimal Deliveries in a Vendor Managed Inventory Service

In a VMI service, a central production center (i.e. the vendor) can control the inventory of each retailer according to the optimization of the costs due both to the overfilling/stock-out of the inventories and to the travels required for the deliveries. In this work, an original mathematical programming approach has been formulated and implemented in order to show that under specific but common conditions (the most important of which are: capacity of the retailer warehouse higher than the demand and than the vehicle capacity, a maximum of two drops for travel, unsatisfied demand lost and not backlogged), a true direct delivery VMI service may not be the best solution. Results are shown on a fictional network as well as on a real logistics system represented by a central depot and by a network of petrol service stations, giving evidence to some peculiar aspects of the VMI service which can be useful on their own to enhance the decision making strategies of a logistic company.

Residential proximity to gasoline service stations and preterm birth

Preterm birth (PTB) is a growing public health problem potentially associated with ambient air pollution. Gasoline service stations can emit atmospheric pollutants, including volatile organic compounds potentially implicated in PTB. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between residential proximity to gasoline service stations and PTB. Singleton live births on the Island of Montreal from 1994 to 2006 were obtained (n=267,478). Gasoline service station locations, presence of heavy-traffic roads, and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) were determined using a geographic information system. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the association between PTB and residential proximity to gasoline service stations (50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 500 m), accounting for maternal covariates, neighborhood SES, and heavy-traffic roads. For all distance categories beyond 50 m, presence of service stations was associated with a greater odds of PTB. Associations were robust to adjustment for maternal covariates for distance categories of 150 and 200 m but were nullified when adjusting for neighborhood SES. In analyses accounting for the number of service stations, the likelihood of PTB within 250 m was statistically significant in unadjusted models. Associations were, however, nullified in models accounting for maternal covariates or neighborhood SES. Our results suggest that there is no clear association between residential proximity to gasoline service stations in Montreal and PTB. Given the correlation between proximity of gasoline service stations and SES, it is difficult to delineate the role of these factors in PTB.

Potential Occurrence of MTBE and BTEX in Groundwater Resources of Amman–Zarqa Basin, Jordan

AbstractThis study investigates potential occurrence, distribution, and sources of the newly added gasoline oxygenate, methyl‐tert‐butyl ether (MTBE) and the petroleum derivatives benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes called collectively, BTEX, in Jordan's heavily populated Amman–Zarqa Basin (AZB). It presents the first data on the levels of MTBE and BTEX in the aquifers of this basin. One hundred and seventy‐nine (179) groundwater wells were sampled near petrol service stations, oil refinery storage tanks, car wrecks, bus stations, and chemical industries at different locations in the basin. Headspace GC and purge and trap GC–MS were utilized to determine the target substances in the samples. Concentrations of BTEX varied between no‐detection (minimum) for all of them to 6.6 µg/L (maximum) for ethylbenzene. MTBE was found in few samples but none has exceeded the regulated levels; its concentrations ranged between no‐detection to 4.1 µg/L. However, though the contamination levels are very low they should be considered alarming.

Trace Analysis of Methyl Tert‐butyl Ether in Water Samples Using New Ultrasound‐assisted Dispersive Liquid‐liquid Microextraction and Gas Chromatography‐flame Ionization Detection

AbstractIn this study, simple and efficient ultrasound‐assisted dispersive liquid‐liquid microextraction combined with gas chromatography (GC) was developed for the preconcentration and determination of methyl‐tert‐butyl ether (MTBE) in water samples. One hundred microliters of benzyl alcohol was injected slowly into 10 mL home‐designed centrifuge glass vial containing an aqueous sample with 30% (w/v) of NaCl that was located inside the ultrasonic water bath. The formed emulsion was centrifuged and 2 μL of separated benzyl alcohol was injected into a gas chromatographic system equipped with a flame ionization detector (GC‐FID) for analysis. Several factors influencing the extraction efficiency such as the nature and volume of organic solvent, extraction temperature, ionic strength and centrifugation times were investigated and optimized. Using optimum extraction conditions a detection limit of 0.05 μg L‐1 and a good linearity (r2 = 0.998) in a calibration range of 0.1‐500 μg L‐1 were achieved. This proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of MTBE in tap, well and a ground water sam ple contaminated by leaking gasoline from an underground storage tank (LUST) in a gasoline service station.

A brief history of the gasoline service station

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to trace the historical development of gasoline service stations through to 1956, their quantitative importance, the principal types of stations in existence in 1956, and the nature of competition in the business.Design/methodology/approach – A synthesis of historical work on the development of gasoline retailing to 1956 is combined with detailed analysis of US Census statistics covering the period from 1929 through the early 1950s. Beckman was in charge of the Census of Wholesale Distribution for the US Department of Commerce in 1930.Findings – There was rapid and significant growth in the number of gasoline service stations from the early twentieth century through 1939. This, combined with the effects of the Depression and Second World War, led to intense competition, an increase in the lines of merchandise carried by service stations, and ultimately to a decline in the number of stations.Originality/value – Beckman combined a fresh interpretation of earlier publis...

Exposure to benzene in various susceptible populations: Co-exposures to 1,3-butadiene and PAHs and implications for carcinogenic risk

Exposure to benzene in human populations can occur in various work-related settings in which benzene is used or produced, or from traffic emissions resulting from incomplete combustion of fossil fuel, or from other sources. Two scenarios of benzene exposure were studied in 4 susceptible groups in Thailand. The first scenario is work-related exposures primarily to benzene, with the study subjects consisting of petrochemical laboratory workers and gasoline service station attendants, who are exposed at levels of 78.32 and 360.84 μg/m 3, respectively. The second scenario is traffic-related exposure and exposure to incense smoke, where co-exposures to other pollutants occurs, with the study groups consisting of school children attending schools in the city center and exposed to traffic emissions, and temple workers exposed to incense smoke. The individual benzene exposure levels were approximately 19.38 μg/m 3 in city school children and 45.90 μg/m 3 in temple workers. Co-exposures to 1,3-butadiene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) generated from the same sources occurred in the second exposure scenario. 8-OHdG, DNA strand breaks and DNA repair capacity were measured as biomarkers of early effects of carcinogenic compound exposure. Petrochemical laboratory workers and gasoline service stations attendants had significantly higher levels of DNA strand breaks and significantly lower DNA repair capacity compared to controls, while gasoline service station attendants also had significantly higher levels of 8-OHdG than controls. City school children had significantly higher levels of PAH–DNA adducts, 8-OHdG, and DNA strand breaks and significantly lower levels of DNA repair capacity compared to rural children. Temple workers also had significantly higher levels of 8-OHdG and DNA strand breaks and significantly lower levels of DNA repair capacity compared to controls. In all of the study groups, the levels of benzene exposure correlated significantly with 8-OHdG levels, DNA strand breaks, and DNA repair capacity. In school children, PAH levels also correlated significantly with 8-OHdG levels, DNA strand breaks and DNA repair capacity. In temple workers, 1,3-butadiene levels correlated significantly with 8-OHdG and DNA strand breaks, but not with DNA repair capacity, while in the school children they did not correlate significantly with 8-OHdG or DNA strand breaks, and correlated marginally significantly with DNA repair capacity (deletions per metaphase). Multivariate regression analysis identified total PAHs concentrations converted to B[a]P equivalents as the only factor significantly affecting 8-OHdG levels, and total PAHs concentrations converted to B[a]P equivalents, as well as 1,3-butadiene concentrations as the factors significantly affecting DNA repair capacity in the school children. PAHs concentration was identified as the factor most significantly affecting DNA strand breaks in temple workers, followed by benzene concentrations, while DNA repair capacity was also significantly influenced by PAHs concentrations.

Compound-Specific Stable Carbon Isotope Analysis of MTBE in Groundwater Contamination Fingerprinting Studies: The Use of Hydrogeologic Principles to Assess Its Validity

Methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is an oxygenate added to gasoline in the United States and elsewhere to boost the octane ratio and reduce tailpipe emissions. Because of its known usage time frame, the presence of MTBE can help estimate the age of gasoline releases to the environment. However, because of its ubiquity, its presence can no longer be used to fingerprint, or differentiate, gasoline plumes in groundwater. Compound-specific stable carbon isotope analysis has recently become a method for differentiating MTBE sources and plumes affecting groundwater. In the present study, groundwater samples were collected from 20 monitoring wells located at two gasoline service stations in central New Jersey in an attempt to differentiate the dissolved gasoline plumes and possibly identify their sources. The carbon isotope ratio (13C/12C expressed as δ13C) values for each sample were determined through gas chromatography–isotope ratio–mass spectrometry (GCIRMS), and the impacted area for each plume was delineated. As biological degradation of MTBE proceeds, δ13C becomes heavier; petroleum-degrading bacteria preferentially assimilate the lighter 12C isotope, thereby enriching the residual MTBE in the heavier 13C isotope. The isotopic composition of MTBE at different locations demonstrated the varying degree to which MTBE had been altered by biodegradation. The δ13C values can also provide insight into the type of release and the magnitude of biodegradation. Two types of leaks occurred at the sites: a shallow piping leak and deeper leak from a tank system. δ13C values in the vicinity of the shallow leak were heavier, revealing increased biodegradation in the soil, while δ13C values in the vicinity of the tank leak were lighter, revealing the lack of biological degradation in non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) trapped beneath the water table. An assessment is provided where the physical site characteristics responsible for petroleum weathering are considered in comparison with the measured δ13C values.

Network planning of fuelling service stations in a near-term competitive scenario of the hydrogen economy

Hydrogen can be viewed as the flexible automotive fuel of the future. However, many issues related to its use have not been sufficiently investigated. One such issue concerns hydrogen logistics and distribution throughout a territory. One near-term scenario over the next decade is likely to include distribution procedures that are similar to those currently used for petrol products. In this scenario, the conversion of petrol service stations into hydrogen distribution points will progressively be implemented. Petrol companies will then represent one of the major categories of hydrogen producers. They will thus have to select, from a cost/benefit standpoint that accounts for competing companies expected to offer the same service throughout a territory, the most convenient and effective locations for hydrogen distribution. The current paper presents a model for planning a network of service stations of a given company within a competitive framework. A case study of a specific territory in northern Italy is presented and discussed.

Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds in an Ethanol and Gasoline Service Station

The present study was conducted to determine the VOCs concentrations in a service station located in a residential and commercial area in the city of Rio de Janeiro. This is, to our knowledge, the first published determination in Brazil, where both ethanol and ethanol-blended gasoline are used. Electro polished, stainless steel, evacuated canisters were used for sampling. The analysis was performed by gaschromatography with flame ionization detection (CG-FID) and by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (CG-MS). A total of 80 and 56 compounds were determined in samples collected at the service station and control location, respectively. The most abundant compounds at the service station were in order of decreasing concentration (units: microg m(-3)): 2-methylbutane (1,715.7), 2-methylbut-1-ene (1,043.2), isobutene (758.8), 2-methylprop-1-ene (703.7), 2-methylpentane (492.1), pentadi-1,3-ene (189.7), toluene (157.0), benzene (144.5), but-2-ene (126.3) and m,p-xylene (123.2). A mean concentration of 144.5 microg m(-3) was determined for benzene, this value is about ten times the concentration determined in the control location in this work and about 70 times the value determined in other locations of Rio de Janeiro using charcoal cartridges for the sampling. The mean benzene/toluene ratios are 0.92 and 0.31 in the service station and control location, respectively. Since in Brazil service station workers are employed to fill customer's cars (self-service is not commonly used) the possible risk of cancer of these workers should be evaluated in a future study.

Turn of the century refueling: A review of innovations in early gasoline refueling methods and analogies for hydrogen

During the first decades of the 20th century, a variety of gasoline refueling methods supported early US gasoline vehicles and successfully alleviated consumer concerns over refueling availability. The refueling methods employed included cans, barrels, home refueling outfits, parking garage refueling facilities, mobile stations, hand carts and curb pumps. Only after robust markets for gasoline vehicles had been firmly established did the gasoline service station become the dominant refueling method. The present study reviews this history and draws analogies with current and future efforts to introduce hydrogen as a fuel for vehicles. These comparisons hold no predictive power; however, there is heuristic value in an historical review of the first successful and large-scale introduction of a vehicle fuel. From an energy policy perspective, these comparisons reinforce the importance of a long-term and portfolio approach to support for technology development and innovation.

T'anks a lot

T'anks a lot

Phytovolatilization of Oxygenated Gasoline-Impacted Groundwater at an Underground Storage Tank Site Via Conifers

A stand of five conifers (Pinus sp.) bordering a gasoline service station was studied to estimate the methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) emission rate from gasoline-impacted groundwater. Groundwater was impacted with gasoline oxygenates MTBE and tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) at combined concentrations exceeding 200000 μg/L. Condensate from trees was collected in sealed environmental chambers and analyzed. Concentrations of MTBE in condensate ranged from 0.51 to 460 μg/L; TBA ranged from 12 to 4100 μg/L (n = 19). Transpirate concentrations were derived from MTBE air–liquid partitioning data exhibited in controls spiked with known concentrations of analyte. Tree emissions were estimated by multiplying average transpirate concentrations by transpiration rates derived from evapotranspiration data. Stand evapotranspiration was calculated using meteorological data from the California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) applied in the Standardized Reference Evapotranspiration Equation.

Data mining to improve management and reduce costs of environmental remediation

In this paper, data from 105 soil and groundwater remediation projects at BP gasoline service stations located in the state of Illinois were mined for lessons to reduce cost and improve management of remediation sites. Data mining software called D2K was used to train decision tree, stepwise linear regression and instance-based weighting models that relate hydrogeologic, sociopolitical, temporal and remedial factors in the site closure reports to remediation cost. The most important factors influencing cost were found to be the amount of soil excavated and the number of groundwater monitoring wells installed, suggesting that better management of excavation and well placement could result in significant cost savings. The best model for predicting cost classes (low, medium and high cost) was the decision tree, which had a prediction accuracy of approximately 73%. The misclassification of approximately 27% of the sites by even the best model suggests that remediation costs at service stations are influenced by other site-specific factors that may be difficult to accurately predict in advance.

Remote real-time monitoring and control of contamination in underground storage tank systems of petrol products

A system to monitor and to control contamination in the soil, as well as in the aquifer is presented. Specifically, the system is suitable to monitor continuously, remotely, and in real-time the soil surrounding underground storage tank (UST) systems, such as in petrol service stations. The system has also functions for remediation, due to the possibility to be configured as a soil venting system. A prototype has been running for more than three years in a petrol service station in Genova, Italy. Results show that, in daily work, frequent small-medium leakages may occur, which may be related to several events, the most frequent of which is the delivery of petrol products to the USTs. In these cases, the system can diagnose the leakage and start remediation by a specific soil venting process. Some considerations on the cost/benefit evaluation of this technology and on the utility to insert it as an important step to assure zero emissions to the soil in connection with petrol product storage and manufacturing are discussed.