My supervisor introduced me to the field of surface and colloid chemistry in 1997, while studying physical chemistry as an undergraduate student at the University of Bergen. Little did I then know that the work would lead me into the petroleum industry, and a struggle with "the good and the bad asphaltenes". As an experimentalist, the work in the laboratory has, more often than not, provided re...

Gas and vapour explosions have been involved in industrial accidents since the beginnings of industry. A century ago, at 11:55 am on Friday 24th September 1920, petroleum barge Warwick exploded London's docklands seven men were killed. Understanding what happened when it blew up as was being refurbished, how to prevent similar explosions, involves fluid mechanics thermodynamics plus chemistry. ...

A.D., Wosniok, W. (Eds.), Biological Effects of Contaminants in Pelagic Ecosystems. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), Brussels, pp. 367–376. Manly, B.F.J., 1998. Randomization, Bootstrap and Monte Carlo Methods in Biology, second ed. Chapman and Hall, London, 399 pp. McCloskey, J.T., Oris, J.T., 1993. Effect of anthracene and solar ultraviolet radiation exposure on gill...

In the era of renewable technologies and clean processes, carbon science must adapt to this new model a green society. Carbon materials are often obtained from petroleum precursors through polluting processes that do not meet requirements sustainable chemistry. Biomass is considered only source for production materials, as in biomass comes consumption dioxide atmosphere, resulting zero net emis...

3-Methylpentane (C6H14, CAS No. 96-14-0), isomer of hexane, is a colorless liquid originating naturally from petroleum or natural gas liquids. 3-Methylpentane has been used as a solvent in organic synthesis, as a lubricant, and as a raw material for producing carbon black. There is limited information available on the inhalation toxicity of 3-methylpentane, and the aim of this study was to dete...

An oil spill is the accidental or intentional discharge of petroleum products into the environment due to human activities. Although oil spills are actually just a little percent of the total world oil pollution problem, they represent the most visible form of it. The impact on the ecosystems can be severe as well as the impact on economic activities. Oil spill cleanup is a very difficult and e...

Because of economics, petroleum coke sometimes replaces or supplements coal as a fuel in power plant combustors. Fly ashes were recovered from the combustion of petroleum coke with moderateto high-sulfur Illinois Basin bituminous coal in a western Kentucky power plant. The fly ashes primarily consist of glass, quartz, mullite and spinels. When compared with ordinary fly ashes from Illinois Basi...

Petroleum hydrocarbons are contaminants of particular significance. With production rates of 13.26 million cubic meters of crude oil per day, their potential as soil and water contaminant is apparent. The most commonly used analytic method for assessing Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) in soil samples, is based on extraction with 1,1,2-Trichlorotrifluoroethane (Freon 113) , a substance prohib...