1. INTRODUCTION
Kerosene, also known as kerosine, paraffin, or paraffin oil, varies in color
depending on its quality. It is a light yellow or colorless oily flammable liquid. It has an
odor and volatile in the range of gasoline and gasoline/diesel oil and distills between
125°C and 260°C (Speight, 2019). When burnt in a wide lamp, kerosene's flash point
of around 25°C makes it acceptable for use as an illuminant. The heat of combustion
of gasoline ranges between 11,000 and 11,500 calories per gram, whereas that of
kerosene (and diesel fuel) is between 10,500 and 11,200 calories per gram. Finally,
the heat of combustion for fuel oil ranges between 9500 and 11,200 calories per gram
(El-Gendy and Speight, 2015).
Kerosene is primarily utilized as a fuel for residential water heaters and air
conditioning systems equipped with kerosene engine heat pumps (KHPs), as well as it
used as a heating oil (Fuse et al., 2004).
On the other hand, domestic combustion is a significant cause of indoor air
pollution in poor nations, and has been highlighted as a significant health concern
influencing hundreds of millions of people, particularly women, children, and the
elderly. The smoke produced by household combustion instruments or devices has
been linked to respiratory disorders such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema,
expectorative coughing, and dyspnea. Exposure to unvented indoor cooking smoke
may result in the development of cancer, most notably lung cancer (Kim Oanh et al.,
2002).
To produce kerosene that burns cleanly, the aromatic content must be kept low.
This quality is defined by the smoke point standard. The flash point is used to provide
the front end of the distillation specification, whereas the freeze point is used to
specify the back end (Holbrook, 1996).
In the petroleum industry and petroleum products, polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as fluorene, anthracene, and fluoranthene are recognized
to be harmful by-products of combustion that are hazardous to human health. PAHs
are classified as persistent organic pollutants, which means they are able to stay in
the environment for an extended period of time (POPs). These are organic pollutants
that are resistant to degradation and can therefore persist in the environment for
extended periods of time if not properly managed (Wild and Jones, 1995, Sankoda et
al., 2013). Scientists have rarely questioned the concept that polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs) are inert substances even at high temperatures (Necula and
Scott, 2000). PAHs are known to damage air, soil, and water resources at even low
concentrations, and they have a high thermal stability and persistence in soil and
groundwater, making them a significant threat to human health (Nelkenbaum et al.,
2007).
For further information, particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), and
organic compounds are the primary contaminants in smoke from residential
combustion instruments or devices. The latter is composed of a diverse array of
components. Among the organic chemicals released, polycyclic organic matter (POM)
and formaldehyde are of particular importance. POM is a chemical group composed
https://doi.org/10.17993/3cemp.2023.120151.382-390
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