Abstract
Antarctica has seen an increase in scientific research and tourism, and anthropogenic activities such as incineration of waste products and fuel combustion for energy and transportation are potential contamination sources to the ecosystem. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are common products of incomplete combustion of organic compounds and could be among accumulating contaminants in Antarctica. Thus, this study sought to develop a sensitive dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction method for the determination of 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Parameters that were relevant to the extraction method were carefully optimized and validated using aqueous standard solutions. The optimum method recorded detection limits in the range of 0.20-6.1µg/L for the analytes. Spike recovery experiments were carried out on artificial seawater, rock-soil, and moss samples, using matrix matching calibration to mitigate effects of the sample matrices. The samples analyzed included seawater, lake, rock-soil, moss, seaweed, and feces samples all collected from the Horseshoe and Faure Islands in Antarctica. The percent recovery results obtained for the samples spiked at different concentrations ranged between 86 and 115%.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
