Phone No.
(780) 450-3957
Petroleum hydrocarbon testing helps environmental consultants, industrial facilities, remediation teams and property owners evaluate soil potentially affected by fuels, oils and other petroleum-related releases.
PBR Laboratories provides hydrocarbon soil testing support from Edmonton for projects throughout Alberta, Western Canada and Canada.
PBR's current soil service information documents petroleum hydrocarbon testing among its soil chemistry capabilities, including total petroleum hydrocarbons C6+ for applicable soil matrices.
The right testing program depends on the suspected source, site history, sample location, depth, soil conditions and decision the results need to support.
Petroleum hydrocarbon soil testing measures selected hydrocarbon-related compounds or fractions in a submitted soil sample.
Testing may support questions such as:
A laboratory result applies to the submitted sample and should be interpreted in the context of the broader site investigation.
Testing can help characterize soil potentially affected by accidental releases.
Historical or current tanks, loading areas and transfer locations can create reasons to investigate soil.
Operations involving petroleum products may require soil characterization where releases or historical impacts are suspected.
Site history may indicate that hydrocarbon testing should be included in the analytical program.
Results can support contaminant characterization and help determine where additional investigation is needed.
Follow-up testing may help determine how measured concentrations have changed after remedial work.
PBR's existing soil chemistry service identifies Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons C6+ among its documented capabilities.
The exact analytical panel should be selected according to:
Where a project requires more specific hydrocarbon fractions or related compounds, the required method and current scope should be confirmed with PBR before sample submission.
This is preferable to assuming that one hydrocarbon test answers every petroleum-contamination question.
Total petroleum hydrocarbons is a broad analytical term used to describe petroleum-derived hydrocarbon mixtures measured under a defined analytical method.
The result is useful only when it is interpreted with the method, reporting range and project criteria in mind.
Does a total petroleum hydrocarbon result identify the exact petroleum product?
Not necessarily.
A measured hydrocarbon concentration may show that petroleum-related material is present in the sample, but identifying a specific source can require additional site history, analytical information or other lines of evidence.
An elevated result means the laboratory measured a hydrocarbon concentration above the comparison value or criterion being used for the project.
It does not automatically tell you:
The next step should consider:
result → sample location → site history → applicable criteria → distribution → project objective
No.
A clean result applies to the submitted sample and the location or depth it represents.
Hydrocarbon contamination can be unevenly distributed because of:
A single clean sample does not establish that every part of a site is free of petroleum impacts.
Sampling design is one of the most important parts of a petroleum hydrocarbon investigation.
The sampling plan may need to consider:
PBR's decision framework emphasizes representative sampling and correct sample handling when laboratory results are used for environmental decisions.
Ask PBR about sample containers, quantity and handling requirements before sampling.
A grab sample represents one defined location or depth.
For investigation of localized releases, this may provide more useful information than averaging multiple locations together.
Composite samples combine material from several locations.
They can be useful for some objectives, but they may also dilute localized hydrocarbon contamination.
For contaminated-site work, compositing should therefore be based on the investigation objective rather than used automatically.
When petroleum hydrocarbons are detected, one common next question is:
How far does the impact extend?
Additional samples may be needed to evaluate:
A laboratory result does not itself define the contamination boundary. The boundary is developed through an appropriate field-sampling and analytical program.
Soil chemistry can affect how petroleum impacts are investigated and interpreted.
Depending on the project, related parameters may include:
Soil chemistry and hydrocarbon testing answer different questions but may provide complementary information.
Microorganisms can be relevant where biological degradation or bioremediation is part of the site investigation.
PBR's environmental microbiology capabilities include hydrocarbon-utilizing bacteria for applicable matrices.
What does finding hydrocarbon-utilizing bacteria mean?
It can provide information about the presence of culturable organisms capable of using hydrocarbons under the applicable laboratory conditions.
It does not by itself prove that hydrocarbons are being degraded at an adequate rate in the field.
Chemical hydrocarbon measurements remain important for evaluating contaminant concentrations.
Depending on the site, petroleum-related impacts may involve more than soil.
Potential migration can depend on:
Where groundwater impact is plausible, soil and groundwater data may need to be considered together.
Hydrocarbon testing can support different stages of a remediation project.
A typical analytical workflow may look like:
Initial characterization
↓
Identify affected areas
↓
Define extent
↓
Remediation activity
↓
Follow-up sampling
↓
Compare analytical results
Testing can provide evidence about changes in measured concentrations over time.
PBR should not claim that one laboratory result alone proves remediation success across an entire site.
An elevated follow-up result may require review of:
The next step may involve additional delineation or investigation rather than simply repeating the same sample.
PBR Laboratories provides petroleum hydrocarbon soil testing support from Edmonton for environmental and industrial projects throughout Alberta.
Alberta's energy, industrial and remediation sectors create frequent needs for analytical soil data where petroleum impacts are suspected.
PBR can discuss:
PBR supports environmental consultants, industrial facilities and remediation teams throughout Western Canada requiring hydrocarbon soil testing and related environmental laboratory services.
Testing should be selected around the site history and decision rather than using a generic panel for every location.
PBR supports Canadian projects requiring applicable petroleum hydrocarbon testing in soil.
The decision-first workflow is:
suspected source → targeted sampling → analytical result → comparison with project criteria → delineation or remediation decision → follow-up
That aligns with PBR's positioning as a laboratory that helps clients understand analytical results in the context of the next project decision.
Petroleum hydrocarbon testing measures selected petroleum-related hydrocarbon concentrations in a submitted soil sample under a defined analytical method.
PBR's current soil service information documents petroleum hydrocarbon analysis, including total petroleum hydrocarbons C6+ for applicable soil matrices.
It means the measured concentration exceeds the comparison value being used for the project. Further investigation may be required to understand source, extent and environmental significance.
No. A result applies to the submitted sample and location. Site-wide conclusions depend on the sampling design and investigation coverage.
Not automatically. Composite samples can dilute localized contamination. Sampling should reflect the project objective.
Additional samples are typically used to evaluate horizontal and vertical distribution. Laboratory testing provides the analytical values; site delineation depends on the broader investigation.
PBR's documented environmental microbiology capabilities include hydrocarbon-utilizing bacteria for applicable matrices.
Potentially. If site conditions suggest migration to groundwater is plausible, soil and groundwater results may need to be evaluated together.
Review the sampling locations, remediation coverage, contaminant distribution and previous results before deciding whether additional delineation or follow-up testing is needed.
Yes. PBR supports projects throughout Alberta, Western Canada and Canada.
Tell PBR:
PBR can discuss available hydrocarbon testing and sample requirements before submission.