Compound specific stable isotope analysis of aromatics in diesel fuel to identify potential cocktailing

Estimates suggest billions of dollars are lost annually in the US due to fuel tax fraud. One method of fuel fraud is called “cocktailing” and involves blending products that are non-taxed, lower value, taxed at a lower rate, or unwanted/less-refined petroleum to diesel fuels. The goal of this study was to investigate compound specific isotope analysis (CSIA) using isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) for small aromatics contained in diesel fuel to determine whether this approach could be used to identify cocktailing and potentially fingerprint possible sources. However, the high chemical complexity of diesel fuels complicates CSIA owing to the need to fully separate individual compounds for effective isotope analysis. Therefore, different methods were investigated to selectively isolate aromatics for CSIA and evaluate these methods for isotopic fractionation. Analyses indicate that there is enough variability in isotopic ratios (δ2H and δ13C) between toluene samples obtained from different sources to use CSIA to differentiate/identify the origin of potential fuel adulterants. Three isolation methods were identified that provided sufficiently pure aromatic fractions for CSIA: selective solvent extraction, ionic liquid coated solid phase microextraction (SPME), and a combination of the two. However, due to the labor-intensive nature of selective solvent extraction, ionic liquid coated SPME represents the best method to quickly isolate aromatics from diesel fuel, without sacrificing selectivity or sensitivity. All methods tested can result in isotopic fractionation, but this can be compensated for by applying a correction factor. Furthermore, the chemical composition of a sample appeared to be important in the degree to which fractionation occurred during isolation. While the tested approaches for aromatic extraction from diesel showed promise, additional studies are required to refine and validate the methods prior to routine use in fuel cocktailing investigations.