Evaluation of Field Portable Test Kits for Site Assessment of Petroleum Hydrocarbons

The goal of this project was to evaluate the applicability of Field Test Kits (FTK's) for the analysis of petroleum hydrocarbons in soils. Three test kits were selected that covered the range of analytical techniques – turbidometric, infrared, and ultraviolet fluorescence. The test kits were evaluated using artificially spiked soil (diesel and crude oil), in addition to site soil contaminated with crude oil. The laboratory reference method was microwave extraction followed with analysis by gas chromatography- flame ionization detection (GC-FID). The results presented include the performance characteristics of the FTKs and include sensitivity, accuracy, precision, and applicability of the FTK's for effective and efficient analysis of petroleum hydrocarbons from soils.