Analytical evaluation of BEA zeolite for the pre-concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their subsequent chromatographic analysis in water samples

Abstract

The analytical performance of BEA – a commercial zeolite – is evaluated for the pre-concentration of fifteen Environmental Protection Agency – polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their subsequent HPLC analysis in tap and lake water samples. The pre-concentration factors obtained with BEA have led to a method with excellent analytical figures of merit. One milliliter aliquots were sufficient to obtain excellent precision of measurements at the parts-per-trillion concentration level with relative standard deviations varying from 4.1% (dibenzo[a,h]anthracene) to 13.4% (pyrene). The limits of detection were excellent as well and varied between 1.1 (anthracene) and 49.9ngL−1 (indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene). The recovery values of all the studied compounds meet the criterion for regulated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which mandates relative standard deviations equal or lower than 25%. The small volume of organic solvents (100μL per sample) and amount of BEA (2mg per sample) makes sample pre-concentration environmentally friendly and cost effective. The extraction procedure is well suited for numerous samples as the small working volume (1mL) facilitates the implementation of simultaneous sample extraction. These are attractive features when routine monitoring of numerous samples is contemplated.