Assessment of the Quality of Diesel Fuel from Some Selected Filling Stations in Tarkwa, Ghana

Automobile fuel quality is becoming a subject of concern across the world and particularly in Ghana because of potential problems associated with poor quality fuel. Poor quality fuel leads to health and environmental problems, reduced performance and lifetime of engine and other components of an automobile. This paper presents the assessment of the quality of diesel fuel from selected filling stations in Tarkwa. Fifteen fuel samples were collected from Reseller Outlets (Gao Gao), Local Oil Marketing Companies (LOMCs) and International Oil Marketing Companies (IOMCs). Density, flashpoint and sulphur content of the sampled fuels were examined in the laboratory using hydrometer, Cleveland closed cup flash point tester and energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometer respectively. All the tests were conducted based on the American Standard for Testing Materials (ASTM) and the results were compared with the requirements of Ghana Standards Authority (GSA). The results from the tests indicated variations in the fuel properties among all the oil marketing companies. All the samples tested were found to be within the required density limit set by GSA. Also, about 81% of the fuels had the flashpoint within the required limit. In general, all the diesel samples had high sulphur content above the GSA limit of 0.005 wt% (50 ppm). It is recommended that; the Government of Ghana should ensure that all oil marketing companies operate within the acceptable sulphur content limit in Ghana and should also consider reducing the acceptable sulphur content to meet international standard in the near future.