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Updated: Apr 12, 2026

Chemical Analysis of Water-accommodated Fractions of Crude Oil Spills Using TIMS-FT-ICR MS
Published on: March 3, 2017
GC-MS analysis of two types of mixed oils, a comparison of composition and weathering patterns
1College of Geography and Planning, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China; Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Abstract:
In order to compare the effects of weathering on two types of mixed oil, simulated weathering experiments were performed. The first sample was a mixture of two fresh oils and the second sample was a mixture of one fresh oil and another oil sample that had undergone a serious weathering process. Comparative studies evaluated decay rates and changes in diagnostic ratios of some fingerprinting biomarkers. Results showed that the mixing process affected the weathering rate of some compounds in the oils and also that certain diagnostic ratios are more suitable for estimating mixing proportions. A Pr/n-C17 versus Ph/n-C18 plot can be used to identify the end-numbers of mixed oils and the (C13+C14)/(C25+C26) ratio is a useful diagnostic ratio to detect the degree of weathering. Finally, hopane, sterane, and alkylated PAH fingerprints were found to give useful insights about the sources of the mixed oils.
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