Ultrasonic Solvent Extraction of Persistent Organic Pollutants from Airborne Particles

Abstract

AbstractUltrasonic solvent extraction of persistent organic pollutants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from airborne particles is reported. The extraction was optimized as functions of type and amount of solvent, sonication time, and number of extraction steps. Determination of PAHs and PCBs carried out by GC/MSD, while OCPs were determined using GC/μ‐ECD. The optimum extraction procedure was determined as three times consecutive extraction using a 25 mL mixture of n‐hexane:petroleum ether (1/1, v/v) for 15 min of sonication. Recoveries were obtained between 91 ± 2 and 96 ± 1% with Relative Standard Deviation (RSD) ⪇ ± 4% for PCBs, for PAHs recoveries (except for naphthalene, < 31%) were between 66 ± 6 and 90 ± 4% with RSD ⪇ ± 8% while OCPs compounds recoveries were between 67 ± 5 and 120 ± 7% with RSD ⪇ ± 7%. When comparing the Soxhlet extraction method with optimized ultrasonic solvent extraction method, extraction time and solvent volume were reduced considerably with the ultrasonic solvent extraction method without reducing extraction efficiency. In addition, a simultaneous analysis of PCBs, PAHs, and OCPs in one sampling by the optimized method is quite advantageous in terms of analysis time and cost.