Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) is a term used for any mixture of
hydrocarbons
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or e ...
that are found in crude oil. There are several hundred of these compounds, but not all occur in any one sample. Crude oil is used to make
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
products, which can
contaminate
Contamination is the presence of a constituent, impurity, or some other undesirable element that spoils, corrupts, infects, makes unfit, or makes inferior a material, physical body, natural environment, workplace, etc.
Types of contamination
Wi ...
the
environment. Because there are so many different chemicals in crude oil and in other petroleum products, it is not practical to measure each one separately. However, it is useful to measure the total amount of TPH at a site. Chemicals that occur in TPH include
hexane,
benzene
Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar ring with one hydrogen atom attached to each. Because it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms ...
,
toluene
Toluene (), also known as toluol (), is a substituted aromatic hydrocarbon. It is a colorless, water-insoluble liquid with the smell associated with paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, consisting of a methyl group (CH3) a ...
,
xylenes
In organic chemistry, xylene or xylol (; IUPAC name: dimethylbenzene) are any of three organic compounds with the formula . They are derived from the substitution of two hydrogen atoms with methyl groups in a benzene ring; which hydrogens are sub ...
,
naphthalene, and
fluorene, other constituents of
gasoline
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organi ...
,
jet fuels,
mineral oil
Mineral oil is any of various colorless, odorless, light mixtures of higher alkanes from a mineral source, particularly a distillate of petroleum, as distinct from usually edible vegetable oils.
The name 'mineral oil' by itself is imprecise, ...
s, and of other petroleum products. Petroleum Hydrocarbon ranges are monitored at various levels depending on the state and testing site.
TPH is the sum of volatile petroleum hydrocarbons (VPH) and extractable petroleum hydrocarbons (EPH). VPH is also known as petrol (or gasoline) range organics (PRO or GRO) and includes hydrocarbons from C6-C10. Diesel range organics (DRO) includes hydrocarbons from C10-C28.
Various methods to analyze the components of TPH are introduced in a Nordic report.
Use of Ozone Depleting Substances in Laboratories. TemaNord 516/2003
/ref> The report evaluates critically various new methods replacing the old ones using banned ozone depleting substances.
References
External links
*http://www.cheiron-resources.com/glossary.php Glossary of Technical Terms for Oil and Other Hydrocarbon Leak Detection and Site Remediation
Analytical chemistry