Exploring the Complexity of Two Iconic Crude Oil Spills in the Gulf of Mexico (Ixtoc I and Deepwater Horizon) Using Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography (GC × GC)

Robert K. Nelson, Kelsey M. Gosselin, David J. Hollander, Steven Murawski, Adolfo Gracia, Christopher M. Reddy, Jagoš R Radović

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC) was used to explore and compare the chemical complexity of oil released from the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) disaster in 2010 and the Ixtoc I spill in 1979-1980, both in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). To provide the most complete inventory of the compounds present in the DWH and Ixtoc I crude oils, we utilized GC × GC systems coupled to a flame ionization detector and a high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometric detector. The results of this study demonstrate the significance of valuable environmental forensics information obtained using GC × GC fingerprinting methods. In particular, the high-resolution mass spectrometer enabled an in-depth characterization of the types and families of GC-amenable compounds present in these crude oils including the detection of highly alkylated sulfur-containing species, alkylated carbazoles and benzocarbazoles, and a suite of unusual de-A-sterane biomarkers in the Ixtoc I oil. This type of specificity is essential for differentiating spill sources of similar origin/type, for example, within northern and southern GoM petroleum families and of the molecular transformations that occur during oil-spill weathering processes.

Original languageAmerican English
JournalEnergy Fuels
Volume33
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1 2019

Disciplines

  • Life Sciences
  • Marine Biology

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