Study of the determination of the adulteration of petrol with kerosene using fuel cell based equipment

Abstract

Techniques based on the headspace vapour analysis of ethanol using a fuel cell sensor have been studied as the basis of a procedure to determine the degree of adulteration of petrol with kerosene. The procedure, using commercially available instrumentation incorporating a fuel cell sensor, is described and was found to be experimentally facile (up to five determinations per hour) while giving results of good precision (0.21% relative standard deviation) and accuracy (±2%). Although petrols of different origin need different dilutions with hexane for optimum instrumental response, calibration slopes for different brands are similar, thus offering the prospect of a viable portable adulteration monitor.