What is it about?
This research provides objective proof that excise duty components (Solvent Red 19 and Solvent Red 23), used as specific fuel markers, are vulnerable to degradation. This may happen not only when these excise duty components are removed illegally from fuel, but also when fuel samples are improperly stored. Through the designed experiments, we have demonstrated that elevated temperature and exposure to UV-A irradiation accelerate the chemical degradation resulting in permanent loss of characteristic color. This work received the financial support of the National Science Center, Poland (research grant no. 2014/13/B/ST4/05007).
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Why is it important?
Solvent Red 19 and Solvent Red 23 are azo dyes used to indicate imposed tax level on fuel, depending on the purpose of usage. In the EU, their levels are defined by regulations, and lower concentrations indicate illegal processing of fuel, known as "fuel laundering". Therefore, from the legal point of view, it is vital to identify the reason why excise duty components are found at lower as expected concentration.
Perspectives
Our findings can contribute to developing more efficient detection methods able to distinguish between loss of color due to inappropriate storage conditions or illegal laundering. Moreover, we believe that research results will encourage modifications of legal policy concerning the use of chemical markers in the petrochemical industry.
Professor Michal Daszykowski
University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Studying the stability of Solvent Red 19 and 23 as excise duty components under the influence of controlled factors, Fuel Processing Technology, September 2020, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.fuproc.2020.106465.
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