Arsenic Analysis in the Petroleum Industry: A Review.

The presence of arsenic in natural gas and liquid hydrocarbons is of great concern for oil companies. In addition to health risks due to its toxicity as well as environmental issues, arsenic is responsible for irreversible poisoning of catalysts and clogging of pipes via the accumulation of As-containing precipitates. To address these problems and to better design treatment units, robust methods for the analysis of arsenic and its compounds in oil streams are required. In addition, the use of feedstocks as a novel source of energy is becoming increasingly important. Most biomasses used as feedstocks are contaminated with arsenic. To avoid problems related to the presence of this element, it is therefore also necessary to have reliable methods for the analysis of arsenic and its compounds in these new fluids. This review outlines the sampling techniques, sample preparation methods, and arsenic analysis techniques developed during recent decades and commonly used in the oil industry and in the new feedstock energy domain.