Synchronous Fluorescence Method to Check Adulteration of Petrol and Diesel by Kerosene

Commercial automotive fuels available on the Indian subcontinent like petrol and diesel are heavily adulterated with kerosene. Kerosene is used as a cooking fuel among the vast rural and urban populations in India. It is heavily subsidized in the local markets; hence, it becomes a cheap and commonly available adulterant. Intelligent mixing of this product with automotive fuels escapes detection. In this work, we report the synchronous fluorescence scan (SFS) technique as a direct tool to both identify and quantify the amount of adulterant present in commercial petrol and diesel mixtures across the city of Pune. The assay reported here promises to be an efficient tool for such detection purposes (kerosene as low as 1% v/v) within a limited geographical area using conditions of calibration with local components.