How Long Does It Take for Spilled Gasoline to Become Safe?
2 Answers
How long it takes for spilled gasoline to become safe depends on the time it takes for the gasoline to evaporate, which is determined by the ground temperature. Under higher temperatures, gasoline evaporates more quickly. Introduction to Gasoline: Gasoline is a volatile and flammable hydrocarbon mixture liquid distilled and cracked from petroleum, used as fuel. Key Characteristics of Gasoline: In an engine cylinder, gasoline must rapidly vaporize and form a uniform combustible mixture with air, primarily determined by its own volatility. The main indicators reflecting volatility are distillation range and saturated vapor pressure. The property that measures whether a fuel is prone to knocking is called anti-knock quality, expressed by the octane number (RON). The higher the octane number of gasoline, the better its anti-knock quality. For hydrocarbons of the same group, those with fewer carbon atoms have better anti-knock quality and higher octane numbers.
This is absolutely not something to take lightly! Last week, I spilled half a can of gasoline on my garage floor. I quickly used cat litter to soak it up, but still didn't dare to use any open flames. The mechanic at the repair shop said gasoline evaporates quickly, but it depends on the situation: for small spills like from a dropped fuel nozzle, on a sunny day with good ventilation, the smell might be gone in two or three hours; but if it's a larger spill from a cracked fuel tank forming a puddle, you'd better let it air out for at least a day to be safe. Remember to scrub the area three times with detergent water, as residual oil in concrete crevices can still ignite upon contact with a spark. Once, I saw a neighbor testing if it was safe with a lighter, and 'whoosh'—a half-meter-high flame shot up, burning off his eyebrows—definitely don't try that!
