Extraction Efficiencies of Emulsions for 21 Elements in Oil and Transmission Fluids by Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectroscopy

Wear metals, especially transition metals, are key indicators of the condition of specific components within an engine, whether it be a car, truck, or jet. Determination of these elements can greatly reduce the chance of engine failure. Traditionally this is done by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) or inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy with organic solvent dilution with methyl isobutyl ketone, xylene, or kerosene. This, however, creates a large quantity of organic waste that is expensive to dispose of following analysis. Several groups have used acid extraction with emulsions with great success. In this study aqueous standards that are much easier and less expensive to dispose of are used with inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy. Twenty-one elements are determined from a 300 μg/g base oil solution. Extractions of 30W oil, 10W30 oil, and transmission fluid were completed to establish a baseline for subsequent analysis of used oil by this method.