Evaluation of interactions between Benzene and Toluene Species in the Air Basin of a Nigerian Petroleum Products Depot

Abstract

Benzene and Toluene species concentrations relationship and interaction were determined in the air basin of Pipelines and Products Marketing Company Mosimi Depot, Sagamu, Nigeria .This study evaluates the status level of these air pollutants emitted from Mosimi Petroleum depot industrial area using active sampling and gas chromatography fitted with flame ionization detector ; Model : HP 6890. Air samples were collected over granular activated charcoal with 10-18 mesh using a low volume air sampler. The Model: Negretti 1000 tm sampler was placed at human breathing height of 1.5m for a sampling period of eight hours at different sampling location. Desorption process was carried out on the used activated charcoal using solvent extraction method with carbondisulphide as the solvent. The extracted solutions were subjected to gas chromatography fitted with flame ionization analysis. The gas chromatography was powered with chem-station REV A09.01 [1206] software to determine the concentration of each of the benzene and toluene species present. The concentrations of benzene ranged between 0.0104 and 0.0711 mg/m3 while that of toluene ranged between 0.0019 and 0.0998 mg/m3 within Pipelines and Products Marketing Company in Mosimi depot and host environment. The Pearson‟s correlation of benzene and toluene is 0.998 while concentrations ratios ranged between 1.32 and 1.77 which indicate both species are have a relationship and are of multiple similar sources