1. Transformations of crude oil into tar: a case study from a plastitar-contaminated site in NE Sicily, Italy (Western Mediterranean).
- Author
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Di Bella M, Sabatino G, De Rosa G, Leonelli C, D'Alessandro M, De Vittor C, Esposito V, Graziano M, Tripodo A, and Volpi V
- Subjects
- Sicily, Tars analysis, Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared, Petroleum Pollution, Seawater chemistry, Plastics, Water Pollutants, Chemical analysis, Petroleum, Environmental Monitoring
- Abstract
This study examines the aging of industrial crude oil to simulate the chemical transformations that occur when it is exposed to environmental conditions over time. It was triggered by the finding of plastitar - a mixture of tar and plastic waste - on the coast of Milazzo, Sicily. Research began with a chemical characterization of the tar component of plastitar, followed by aging experiments designed to simulate environmental conditions such as seawater, UV light and sunlight. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to analyze the chemical changes during the aging process and compare the results with local tar samples. The results showed significant chemical changes in the aged crude oil, including oxidation, degradation of hydrocarbons and the formation of oxygenated compounds. In particular, the FTIR spectra of the aged crude oil closely matched those of the local tar and provided valuable insights that could help address similar coastal pollution issues in other regions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2025
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