Oil spill identification by high‐speed HPLC

Abstract

The use of high-speed HPLC in oil spill identification problems has been evaluated in terms of analysis time and reliability. The aromatic fraction was analyzed by reverse-phase chromatography on a 3 pm packing, with detection at 210 and 287 nm, in less than 20 minutes. The profiles exhibited by several Spanish and Middle East crudeoils were differentiated by simple statistical parameters. The effect of environmental weathering on the samples has also been investigated. An Arabian light crude oil was still identifiable after four months' simulated marine weathering.

Assessment of fecal sterols and ketones as indicators of urban sewage inputs to coastal waters

“…However, besides these problems of chromatographic overlapping, other interfering processes may restrict the range of application of these criteria. Diverse aerobic organisms, including some phytoplankton, zooplankton, and macrophyte species, biosynthesize 5a(fJ)-cholestan-33-ol (31)(32)(33)(34)(35). Their presence in the waters may therefore Cross-representation of the coprostanol and coprostanone concentrations and their corresponding C5 epimeric ratios for the sediment samples (symbols as in Figure 3).…”