Abstract
A rapid solid phase extraction (SPE) combined with gas chromatography equipped with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of acenaphthylene, acenaphthene and naphthalene in wastewater sample collected from petroleum industry’s drainage. Important SPE parameters, namely absorbent amount, sample volume, type of elution solvent and its volume were optimized. The optimum parameters obtained are: 200 mg silica nano-powder, 2.0 mL sample volume and 2.0 mL n-hexane as elution solvent. The method showed good linearity in the range of 0.1-10.0 mg/L with satisfactory limit of detection (≤1.0 mg/L) and limit of quantitation (≤3.2 mg/L) under the optimized conditions. Good relative recoveries (94.7-99.9%) and intra- and inter-day precisions (≤2.8%, n=3) for acenaphthene, acenaphthylene and naphthalene were obtained. Toxicity study has revealed that it is a non-toxic absorbent and safe to be used for the removal of organic pollutants in water which is advantageous for routine wastewater analysis.
Highlights
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic pollutants which are ubiquitously found in all environmental compartments.[1]
PAHs have been included in the priority pollutant lists of European Union (EU)[4] and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)[5] owing to the fact that they are carcinogenic
150 mg of silica absorbent was chosen as the optimum absorbent amount for use in subsequent experiments
Summary
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic pollutants which are ubiquitously found in all environmental compartments.[1] High concentration PAHs may be present in petroleum-related industries, coal-tar, gas production as well as timber-based industries.[2] Marine and coastal ecosystems are one of the major sediments for PAHs3 which become available to organisms dwelling in sediments like shellfish and able to bioaccumulate PAHs actively. Consumption of those contaminated dwelling organisms will lead to concentrated of PAHs in human body. Diet is the main contributor to human exposure to PAHs that is through the consumption of contaminated foods (88-98%).[6]
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