Olfactometric and Chemical Characterisation of Gaseous Emission from Crude Oils

This study focuses on the olfactometric and chemical characterisation of gaseous and vapour emissions from different crude oils. To investigate this topic, laboratory experiments were set up to obtain comparable gaseous samples: they were estimated in terms of odour concentration (C<sub>od<...

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Main Authors: Elisa Polvara, Vittoria Legnani, Marzio Invernizzi, Selena Sironi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Molecules
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/5/1136
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author Elisa Polvara
Vittoria Legnani
Marzio Invernizzi
Selena Sironi
author_facet Elisa Polvara
Vittoria Legnani
Marzio Invernizzi
Selena Sironi
author_sort Elisa Polvara
collection DOAJ
description This study focuses on the olfactometric and chemical characterisation of gaseous and vapour emissions from different crude oils. To investigate this topic, laboratory experiments were set up to obtain comparable gaseous samples: they were estimated in terms of odour concentration (C<sub>od</sub>), via dynamic olfactometry, and chemical-specific characterisation. It was found that, even if considered similar in regard to physical properties and chemical composition, the gaseous emissions of different crude oils are significantly different in terms of odorous potential. The observed discrepancy appears to be associated with the presence of volatile organic sulphur compounds (VOSCs), and the highest values of C<sub>od</sub> were found in samples containing mercaptans and sulphides. In addition, from the conducted comparison, it appeared that crude odorous potential, in terms of C<sub>od</sub>, is not strictly linked to the quantity of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs), H<sub>2</sub>S concentration, or a priori knowledge of the percentage of elemental sulphur in the crude; on the contrary, the presence of volatile organic sulphur compounds in the gaseous emissions is the most influential parameter for the odour potential of this matrix.
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spelling doaj-art-ff12cd2eda514ccb9947c0d3c754a1ea2025-08-20T02:52:35ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-03-01305113610.3390/molecules30051136Olfactometric and Chemical Characterisation of Gaseous Emission from Crude OilsElisa Polvara0Vittoria Legnani1Marzio Invernizzi2Selena Sironi3Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, ItalyDepartment of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, ItalyDepartment of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, ItalyDepartment of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, ItalyThis study focuses on the olfactometric and chemical characterisation of gaseous and vapour emissions from different crude oils. To investigate this topic, laboratory experiments were set up to obtain comparable gaseous samples: they were estimated in terms of odour concentration (C<sub>od</sub>), via dynamic olfactometry, and chemical-specific characterisation. It was found that, even if considered similar in regard to physical properties and chemical composition, the gaseous emissions of different crude oils are significantly different in terms of odorous potential. The observed discrepancy appears to be associated with the presence of volatile organic sulphur compounds (VOSCs), and the highest values of C<sub>od</sub> were found in samples containing mercaptans and sulphides. In addition, from the conducted comparison, it appeared that crude odorous potential, in terms of C<sub>od</sub>, is not strictly linked to the quantity of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs), H<sub>2</sub>S concentration, or a priori knowledge of the percentage of elemental sulphur in the crude; on the contrary, the presence of volatile organic sulphur compounds in the gaseous emissions is the most influential parameter for the odour potential of this matrix.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/5/1136odour emissionsvolatile organic sulphur compounds (VOSCs)dynamic olfactometryTVOCodorous potential
spellingShingle Elisa Polvara
Vittoria Legnani
Marzio Invernizzi
Selena Sironi
Olfactometric and Chemical Characterisation of Gaseous Emission from Crude Oils
Molecules
odour emissions
volatile organic sulphur compounds (VOSCs)
dynamic olfactometry
TVOC
odorous potential
title Olfactometric and Chemical Characterisation of Gaseous Emission from Crude Oils
title_full Olfactometric and Chemical Characterisation of Gaseous Emission from Crude Oils
title_fullStr Olfactometric and Chemical Characterisation of Gaseous Emission from Crude Oils
title_full_unstemmed Olfactometric and Chemical Characterisation of Gaseous Emission from Crude Oils
title_short Olfactometric and Chemical Characterisation of Gaseous Emission from Crude Oils
title_sort olfactometric and chemical characterisation of gaseous emission from crude oils
topic odour emissions
volatile organic sulphur compounds (VOSCs)
dynamic olfactometry
TVOC
odorous potential
url https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/5/1136
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AT vittorialegnani olfactometricandchemicalcharacterisationofgaseousemissionfromcrudeoils
AT marzioinvernizzi olfactometricandchemicalcharacterisationofgaseousemissionfromcrudeoils
AT selenasironi olfactometricandchemicalcharacterisationofgaseousemissionfromcrudeoils