Determination of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) in Soils: A Review of Spectroscopic and Nonspectroscopic Techniques

Abstract

In the analysis of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soils for total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), the role spectroscopic and non-spectroscopic techniques play are inseparable. Therefore, spectroscopic techniques cannot be discussed in isolation. In this report, spectroscopic techniques including Raman, fluorescence, infrared, visible-near-infrared spectroscopies, as well as mass spectroscopy (coupled to a gas chromatograph), and non-spectroscopic techniques such as gravimetric, immunoassay and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection are reviewed. To bridge the perceived gap in coverage of the quantitative applications of the vis-NIR spectroscopy in the rapid determination of TPHs and PAHs in soils, a detailed review of studies from the period 1999-2012 are presented. This report also highlights the strength and limitations of these techniques and evaluates their performance from the perspectives of their attributes of general applicability, namely: economic, portability, operational time, accuracy, and occupational health and safety considerations. Overall, the fluorescence spectroscopic technique had the best performance (85% total score) in comparison to others, while the gravimetric technique performed the least (60% total score). Method-specific solutions geared towards performance improvement have also been suggested.

Detoxification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Arabidopsis thaliana involves a putative flavonol synthase

“…To verify the activity of tagged AT5G05600 with relation to phenanthrene, in vitro assays were performed with the purified enzyme. The emission spectrum of a compound can provide qualitative and quantitative information [59, 60]. This is especially true of PAHs when exposed to UV light.…”

Towards enhancing sustainable reuse of pre-treated drill cuttings for construction purposes by near-infrared analysis: A review

“…Both the water extractable and the acid soluble chlorides are analyzed using potentiometric titration with silver nitrate according to AASHTO method T26097 (AASHTO, 2005). According to a recent review (Okparanma and Mouazen, 2013a), solvent extraction is both time-consuming and associated with ecological health risks because extraction solvents and stock solutions often used in the extraction process and a priori instrument calibration respectively are carcinogenic. In the same vein, analytical cost per sample for hydrocarbons using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is very high and the process is slow in addition to the need for an experienced operator to run the analysis and later process the data.…”

“…Raman scattering may be used to assess the vibration of Ramanactive molecules such as the PAHs, as well as for identifying species. According to a recent review (Okparanma and Mouazen, 2013a), qualitative and quantitative applications of Raman spectroscopy is widespread.…”

“…There are indications to suggest that near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has the potential to be used for the analysis of certain chemical properties of concrete such as chloride concentration (Abbas, 2015). NIR spectroscopy is well known for its short analytical time, costeffectiveness, non-invasiveness, portability, and ecological friendliness (Okparanma and Mouazen, 2013a). Besides, NIR spectroscopy has been extensively used in proximal soil sensing and, on occasion, for the determination of chloride concentration in concrete (Abbas, 2015).…”

Quantitative characterization of crude oils and fuels in mineral substrates using reflectance spectroscopy: Implications for remote sensing

“…Traditional methods employed to define the origin and concentration of petroleum products in soil samples involves the extraction of the contaminant from the soil, followed by its determination using gas chromatography with flame-ionization or mass spectrometry detection, general gravimetry, immunoassay and spectroscopic techniques (e.g. Raman, fluorescence) (Dent and Young, 1981;Schwartz et al, 2012;Okparanma and Mouazen, 2013a). Most of these analytical techniques are expensive, involve time-consuming sample preparation protocols and rely on the use of noxious extraction solvents that tend to pose health risk to operators (Okparanma and Mouazen, 2013b).…”