A Technique for Estimating the Age of Regular/Mid-grade Gasolines Released to the Subsurface Since the Early 1970's

Investigators, regulators, and litigants having interest in gasoline hydrocarbon releases are almost always concerned with knowing when a release occurred. Gasoline releases to the subsurface have, historically, been the most difficult to age date because of their volatile nature and highly aromatic composition. Age dating of gasolines in the past has depended on the degree of weathering of the lower boiling hydrocarbons in gasoline, the use and disuse of lead, lead isotopes, the use of other additives such as methyl-tertiary-butyl ether, and major refining and formulation changes. However, these approaches are limited and many times difficult to demonstrate and apply. This paper describes a new age dating technique using gas chromatographic data. It is based on the progressive enhancement of the aromatics and the reduction of the normal alkanes (paraffins) in the manufacture of regular and mid-grade gasolines since the 1970s. The changing composition of gasoline was necessary to maintain octane ratings during the removal of lead from the gasoline and while meeting increasingly stringent air quality regulations over the past 30 years. This paper proposes the use of an index that reflects these changes in gasoline composition over time and can be correlated to when the gasoline was manufactured. The resulting curve can be used to estimate the age of release (manufacture) of gasolines. This forensic application can be successfully applied to liquid gasoline samples where the evaporation of the gasoline is less than 50%. Case histories and examples are presented to demonstrate application of the technique.