MONITORING OF QUALITY PARAMETERS FOR GASOLINE AND DIESEL FUEL MARKETED IN ALBANIA AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

The transport sector is one of the major nodes of economic development. After 2000 in Albania this sector has seen a growing development which is directly reflected in the development of hydrocarbons, especially vehicle fuels market that characterized by a gradient increase in the values of 15-20% for year. In our country as in all developing countries, the major health and environmental problem is air pollution and increased consumption of petroleum products highlights the environmental pollution caused by CO2 emissions, gas, NOx, SOx, CO, Pb, soot and unburned hydrocarbons. Since the amount of these pollutants in atmosphere depend on, inter alia, from the quality of fuels used, special importance has taken control of fuel quality parameters, with a focus on monitoring the content of sulfur and heavy metals such as Pb which are and determining environmental indicators. The purpose of this paper is to present quality diesel hydrocarbon market situation for the city of Tirana for the period of the first six months of 2011, monitoring of Pb content in gasoline imported and consumed in the country for the period 2005 to 2010, environmental impact relevant, as well as their compliance with the Albanian standards and those of the European countries.