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Isotopic topology hierarchy decoupling (ITHD): A new method for high-resolution gasoline source attribution and
Zhaowei Jie1, Jun Zhu1, Xiaohan Zhu2
1School of Criminal Investigation, People's Public Security University of China, Beijing, 100038, China; Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security, Beijing, 100038, China.
Talanta
|November 15, 2025
Summary
This study introduces the Isotopic Topology Hierarchy Decoupling (ITHD) framework for high-resolution gasoline source attribution. ITHD accurately identifies crude oil origins and refinery-specific fingerprints, aiding environmental forensics and combating illicit fuel trade.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Forensic Chemistry
- Geochemistry
Background:
- Environmental contamination and regulatory breaches from illicit gasoline necessitate precise source attribution.
- Current methods struggle with complex crude oil geochemistry and refining-induced isotopic fractionation.
- A high-resolution analytical bottleneck exists in environmental forensics for fuel provenance.
Purpose of the Study:
- Introduce the Isotopic Topology Hierarchy Decoupling (ITHD) framework.
- To disentangle natural and anthropogenic isotopic signals for accurate fuel source attribution.
- Provide a tool for identifying crude oil origins and specific refinery processes.
Main Methods:
- Leveraged compound-specific carbon stable isotope ratios from Chinese refinery gasoline samples.
- Applied the ITHD framework to structure and analyze isotopic signals.
- Utilized orthogonal signal processing and topological network analysis.
Main Results:
- Achieved 97.8% accuracy in regional gasoline provenance.
- Successfully identified distinct manufacturer-specific isotopic fingerprints.
- Quantified inter-source similarities to resolve forensic ambiguities.
Conclusions:
- The ITHD framework provides mechanistic interpretability of isotopic signals.
- Demonstrated conclusive and validated source attribution in 9 real-world illicit gasoline cases.
- Establishes a new paradigm for high-resolution fuel provenance in environmental forensics.
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