Hydrocarbons

Like other petroleum products, diesel is comprised of hydrocarbons obtained from crude petroleum. Crude petroleum oils are composed of three major hydrocarbons, paraffinic (also known as alkanes), naphthenic (also known as cycloalkanes), and aromatic hydrocarbons.

The aromatic content of diesel is directly proportional to particulate matter (PM) exhaust emissions from diesel engines. Thus, reductions in aromatic content will also lower PM emissions and soot formation.

In Ghana there is no regulatory limit for polycyclic aromatics hydrocarbons (PAH) content, but the value should be reported. However, the PAH content has been decreasing over the years reaching low values in 2020.