Simultaneous Determination of PAHs, Hetero-PAHs (N, S, O), and Their Degradation Products in Creosote-Contaminated Soils. Method Development, Validation, and Application to Hazardous Waste Sites

Abstract

A simple and reproducible method which provides the simultaneous determination of PAHs and hetero-PAHs (N,S,O) and their metabolites in contaminated soils has been developed. Contaminants extracted from the soil sample were separated by polarity and acid−base characteristics using solid phase extraction (SPE) on silica gel and a strong basic anion exchange material. A subfraction containing PANHs and neutral metabolites was subsequently fractionated into neutral and basic compounds using a strong acidic cation exchange material. The identification and quantification was performed using different GC and HPLC methods. A method validation was carried out for 21 PAHs, 22 hetero-PAHs, and 19 metabolites in a five-level matrix calibration. Uncontaminated soil (AhA1-layer/compost mixture) was spiked with the chosen standard compounds. The method showed good linearity (coefficient of correlation) and high precision (coefficient of variation) for major and minor compounds over a wide range of concentration as well...