Synchronous fluorescence spectra of water contaminated by dispersed crude oil

Abstract

The development of petroleum extraction and transport technology does not ensure complete isolation of these substances from the natural environment. This problem is exacerbated by the location of mining equipment on the sea shelf and the fact that numerous submarine pipelines, tankers and handling terminals can also emit oil pollution. Therefore, the possibility of detecting oil dispersed in the water is particularly important. This paper reports the efforts to identify methods of characterization of the water containing the crude oil emulsion in a very low concentration (a few to several tens of ppm). Due to this, the effect of emulsion concentration on the possibility of its objective characterization using synchronous fluorescence spectra was studied. The similarity of spectra at various oil concentrations was analysed. It has been shown that the stabilization of the shape of synchronous fluorescence spectra occurs at relatively low oil concentrations.