This paper presents empirical evidence which indicates that the introduction of petroleum based products on the American markets was a significant factor in reducing the demand for whale oil. As a result, the whaling industry, America’s 5th largest industry at the time, soon collapsed. A counterfactual study is then presented which suggests that if the introduction of petroleum based products h...

Xylenes (mixtures of ortho-, meta-, and para-isomers) are used as industrial solvents, synthetic intermediates, and solvents in commercial products such as paints, coatings, adhesive removers, and paint thinners; they are also a component of gasoline. Xylenes are released to the atmosphere primarily as fugitive emissions from industrial sources (e.g., petroleum refineries, chemical plants), in ...

Although mass spectrometry has been studied extensively in the past 50 years for analysis of petroleum and other fossil fuels, comprehensive characterization of total petroleum composition across a wide boiling range remains a challenge. In this work, we report our efforts in combining GC separation, field Ionization, and time-of-flight high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-FI-TOF HRMS) for det...

Petroleum products bought and sold on the world wide market may be transported over thousands of miles and change ownership many times from the well head to the end user. Each time the product changes ownership, a “custody transfer” is completed and both buyer and seller expect their asset share to be accurately measured. The dynamic measurement provided by meters is a convenient and accurate m...

Used motor oils (UMO) are a remarkable commodity arousing interest of each new generation of researchers. UMO also include used gear oils, but their degree of use is much lower. The primary role of motor oil is to reduce friction and prevent corrosion. It also serves to dissipate heat and hold in suspension by-products of engine wear, combustion and degradation products. Motor oil originates fr...

Methanogenic degradation of crude oil in subsurface sediments occurs slowly, but without the need for exogenous electron acceptors, is sustained for long periods and has enormous economic and environmental consequences. Here we show that volatile hydrocarbons are inhibitory to methanogenic oil biodegradation by comparing degradation of an artificially weathered crude oil with volatile hydrocarb...

The Deepwater Horizon accident has brought oil contamination of deep-sea environments to worldwide attention. The risk for new deep-sea spills is not expected to decrease in the future, as political pressure mounts to access deep-water fossil reserves, and poorly tested technologies are used to access oil. This also applies to the response to oil-contamination events, with bioremediation the on...

The augmentation of industrial and house wastes and the accidental oil spills raised the problem of their storage and treatment. Bioremediation is an interesting alternative for restauring the ecological equilibrum in polluted environments, based on microbial population dynamics and its ability to consume xenobiotics as carbon source. The yeast species described as having biodegrading abilities...

Petroleum products are highly complex chemical mixtures consisting predominantly of hydrocarbons. Their composition varies with source and intended use of the product. Virtually all are blended products that come into contact with man in a wide range of circumstances. Their toxicity for man is generally low and the use of additives rarely affects the toxicity of the final product. Because produ...