ASSESSMENT OF HYDROCARBONS IN VAPORS OF CONVENTIONAL AND ALKYLATE-BASED PETROL

Vapours of recently introduced alkylate-based petrol for power saws, lawn mowers and other petrol-fuelled machines were compared with vapours of conventional petrol varieties. The composition of C4-C8 hydrocarbons was determined by adsorption sampling and gas chromatography on an aluminium oxide column. Results are given for 22 specific arenes, alkenes and alkanes. Major advantages of the reformulated petrol with respect to health and environment are the virtual absence of benzene and alkenes in the vapours. The proportions of methylbenzene, hexane and cycloalkanes are also very low. More than 98% of the vapours are alkanes with a prominent portion of 2,2,4-trimethylpentane and other highly branched C6-C8 species.