Lead Isotope Characterization of Petroleum Fuels in Taipei, Taiwan

Pei-Hsuan Yao, Guey-Shin Shyu, Ying-Fang Chang, Yu-Chen Chou, Chuan-Chou Shen, Chi-Su Chou and Tsun-Kuo Chang
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Pei-Hsuan Yao: Agro-environment Laboratory (AELab), Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106, Taiwan
Guey-Shin Shyu: Department of Travel and Ecotourism, Tungnan University, New Taipei City 222, Taiwan
Ying-Fang Chang: Green Energy and Environment Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu County 310, Taiwan
Yu-Chen Chou: High-Precision Mass Spectrometry and Environmental Change Laboratory (HISPEC), Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106, Taiwan
Chuan-Chou Shen: High-Precision Mass Spectrometry and Environmental Change Laboratory (HISPEC), Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106, Taiwan
Chi-Su Chou: Ecological Engineering Research Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106, Taiwan
Tsun-Kuo Chang: Agro-environment Laboratory (AELab), Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2015, vol. 12, issue 5, 1-15

Abstract: Leaded gasoline in Taiwan was gradually phased out from 1983 to 2000. However, it is unclear whether unleaded gasoline still contributes to atmospheric lead (Pb) exposure in urban areas. In this study, Pb isotopic compositions of unleaded gasolines, with octane numbers of 92, 95, 98, and diesel from two local suppliers in Taipei were determined by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with a two-sigma uncertainty of ± 0.02 %. Lead isotopic ratios of vehicle exhaust ( 208 Pb/ 207 Pb: 2.427, 206 Pb/ 207 Pb: 1.148, as estimated from petroleum fuels) overlap with the reported aerosol data. This agreement indicates that local unleaded petroleum fuels, containing 10–45 ng·Pb·g ?1 , are merely one contributor among various sources to urban aerosol Pb. Additionally, the distinction between the products of the two companies is statistically significant in their individual 208 Pb/ 206 Pb ratios ( p-value < 0.001, t test). Lead isotopic characterization appears to be applicable as a “fingerprinting” tool for tracing the sources of Pb pollution.

Keywords: stable lead isotopes; environmental forensics; petroleum fuels (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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