Experimental Investigation of the Physicochemical Quality of Gasoline Refined by Indigenous Technology in Nigeria

Fuel produced by artisanal refiners using indigenous technology continues to find its way into the Nigerian oil market despite the proscription of such refining activities in the Niger Delta, owing largely to the illegal means by which the artisans procure crude oil and also related to doubt about the quality of products coming from their covertly operated facilities. Therefore, in this study, gasoline samples were collected across 30 artisanal refiner camps, and their properties were examined to ascertain their conformity with the minimum requirements of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) on fuel quality. Standard test protocols on fuel characterisation published by ASTM were utilised for the analysis. The specific gravity of the samples determined at 15℃ ranged from 0.796 – 0.807 g/cm3. The Antiknock Index ranged between 78.75% and 82.45% for the fuel, and the initial and final boiling points of the samples were about 32 – 39.1℃ and 226.3 – 238.7℃, respectively. The distillation profiles of most of the fuel samples were satisfactory. Experimental data gathered from this study indicate that notwithstanding the artisanal refiners’ shortcomings, they are still able to produce fuels that meet some minimum local and international requirements