Gasoline Composition Study
New --> Poster from 2007 National Tanks Conference (San Antonio, Texas)
New --> Poster from 2007 National Tanks Conference (San Antonio, Texas)
Gasolines are being collected from around the U.S. to support analysis and modeling of leaking underground storage tank (LUST) sites. Samples are collected according to
- grade: regular or premium,
- proximity within a geographic location (generally three samples are collected within a geographic location),
- expected oxygenate usage: methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE), ethanol, none,
- a list of preferred marketers and retailers (which will remain confidential),
- elevation,
- seasons.
- common aromatics: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes (BTEX), trimethyl benzenes,
- oxygenates: methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE), tert-amyl methyl ether, and others,
- the forty-four chemicals included in a Canadian Petroleum Products Institute Study of 1994, and
- and other chemicals included in the "PIANO" grouping: parafins, isoparafins, aromatics, napthlenes, olefins.
The first samples were collected in September through November, 2004. The results from the first analysis of these data are available in an EPA report. The report presents the background and methodology of the study and three types of results:
- Comparisons of individual chemicals of interest: benzene, MTBE, tert-butyl alcohol, ethanol,
- Statistical analyses aimed at determining the similarities and differences among gasolines, and
- Predicted soil, ground water and soil gas impacts from the fuels.