One-Dimensional Gas Chromatographic Analysis of European Union Fiscal Fuel Markers

Fuel laundering is the illegal process of removing chemical markers or dyes from government-subsidized fuel to sell as more expensive and higher-taxed fuel. In some nations, the subsidized fuel is used for agricultural purposes and residential heating as well as other specific uses. Some methods for removing the chemical markers and dyes include chemical treatment, filtration, and distillation. The illegal laundering of fuel has many negative consequences for the surrounding community, such as the government missing out on the tax revenue to maintain critical public services, the improper disposal of chemical waste contaminating the environment and exposing humans and animals to health risks, and the creation of negative economic aftereffects with market distortion. Countermeasures developed to combat this problem involve the development of a more sophisticated fuel marker which is harder to remove and easier to detect. This presentation details a one-dimensional GC-MS analytical method for identification and quantitation of a commercial fiscal marker and its preferred marker compound.