Typical images of liquid petroleum (left) and the glassy asphaltene fraction (center). Asphaltene molecules have a condensed aromatic core (right).
Petroleum is a fossil fuel and is also made up of thousands, if not millions, of different organic molecules. Some of these molecules have a condensed aromatic core structure (like a honeycomb) and are referred to as “asphaltenes” - As the name implies, these molecules are also present in road asphalt! Relative asphaltene content largely controls the viscosity and other physicochemical properties of crude oil, so we set out to gain a better understanding of this sticky petroleum component.
A new paper, led by Alex Goranov, describes how molecular markers and isotopic analysis can be used to interrogate the condensed aromatic structure and source of asphaltenes present in crude oil. The paper is entitled “Characterization of asphaltenes and petroleum using benzenepolycarboxylic acids (BPCAs) and compound-specific stable carbon isotopes” and was published in the journal Energy and Fuels as part of the 2021 Pioneers in Energy Research: Alan Marshall special issue. These investigations may also help us track organic matter inputs from oil seeps or other petrogenic carbon sources in the natural environment.
