Abstract
Oil sorbents were investigated for retention capacities of volatile petroleum products for use in the investigation of crimes. Petroleum product retention capacities of seven types of commercial oil sorbents supplied for collecting spilt oils were compared using headspace gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HSGCMS). Motor gasoline or gasoline (0.1 ml) for industrial purposes was added to the sorbents on open laboratory dishes. After a few days, products were identified using HSGCMS. These experiments revealed that a synthetic sorbent sheet (sample No.6, Terra) made of nonwoven polypropylene fiber was much more retentive than the other sorbents for collection of volatile petroleum products for identification by HSGCMS.
