Hydrocarbons either occur in nature, i.e., in natural gas, crude oil, biomasses, or are the products of thermal processes. Since the combustion of these chemical compounds and of their derivatives produces carbon dioxide, water, and heat, hydrocarbons are often employed as fuels. Hydrocarbon detection in the gas phase represents a powerful tool to guide oil exploration and production operations for the oil & gas industry. On the other hand, oil and natural gas transportation, storage, and refining processes have a high environmental and ecological impact due to frequent liquid and/or gas spills and losses. Environmental contamination, use of lubricants in harvesting and food production machines, and packaging can also cause mineral oils hydrocarbons food contamination. Lastly, enteric methane is a short-lived climate pollutant with a warming effect 34 times greater than carbon dioxide.
Damages to the ozone layer and human health due to the atmospheric presence of gaseous hydrocarbons, like methane, benzene, all the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, etc., irremediable contamination of soil and air due to hydrocarbons leaks in oil and gas plants, as well as food industry-related methane emission in air and mineral oils hydrocarbons residual traces in aliments point out the urgent need for the development of sensitive hydrocarbons detection techniques. Several methods have been recently demonstrated in hydrocarbon detection, such as real-time polymerase chain reaction, genome sequencing-based techniques, hyperspectral remote-sensing, reflectometric biosensing, optical spectroscopy, gas chromatography combined with different techniques, e.g., mass spectrometry, vacuum ultraviolet detection, flame ionization detection, etc. This Special Issue of Frontiers in Chemistry will focus on all aspects of the research and development related to the hydrocarbon detection techniques.
We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:
• Hydrocarbons leak detection in natural gas and fuel production plants
• Monitoring in urban and industrial areas of emissions of methane as a greenhouse gas
• Detection of hydrocarbons emissions in and close to landfills, in soil and air
• Biogenic hydrocarbons production
• Thermogenic hydrocarbons production
• Hydrocarbons emission in food-industry
• Mineral oils hydrocarbons contamination in aliments
Hydrocarbons either occur in nature, i.e., in natural gas, crude oil, biomasses, or are the products of thermal processes. Since the combustion of these chemical compounds and of their derivatives produces carbon dioxide, water, and heat, hydrocarbons are often employed as fuels. Hydrocarbon detection in the gas phase represents a powerful tool to guide oil exploration and production operations for the oil & gas industry. On the other hand, oil and natural gas transportation, storage, and refining processes have a high environmental and ecological impact due to frequent liquid and/or gas spills and losses. Environmental contamination, use of lubricants in harvesting and food production machines, and packaging can also cause mineral oils hydrocarbons food contamination. Lastly, enteric methane is a short-lived climate pollutant with a warming effect 34 times greater than carbon dioxide.
Damages to the ozone layer and human health due to the atmospheric presence of gaseous hydrocarbons, like methane, benzene, all the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, etc., irremediable contamination of soil and air due to hydrocarbons leaks in oil and gas plants, as well as food industry-related methane emission in air and mineral oils hydrocarbons residual traces in aliments point out the urgent need for the development of sensitive hydrocarbons detection techniques. Several methods have been recently demonstrated in hydrocarbon detection, such as real-time polymerase chain reaction, genome sequencing-based techniques, hyperspectral remote-sensing, reflectometric biosensing, optical spectroscopy, gas chromatography combined with different techniques, e.g., mass spectrometry, vacuum ultraviolet detection, flame ionization detection, etc. This Special Issue of Frontiers in Chemistry will focus on all aspects of the research and development related to the hydrocarbon detection techniques.
We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:
• Hydrocarbons leak detection in natural gas and fuel production plants
• Monitoring in urban and industrial areas of emissions of methane as a greenhouse gas
• Detection of hydrocarbons emissions in and close to landfills, in soil and air
• Biogenic hydrocarbons production
• Thermogenic hydrocarbons production
• Hydrocarbons emission in food-industry
• Mineral oils hydrocarbons contamination in aliments
