ANALYTICAL PERFORMANCE OF MICROWAVE-ASSISTED SOLVENT EXTRACTION (MASE) FOR THE ROUTINE DETERMINATION OF PAHs IN POLLUTED SOILS BY GAS CHROMATOGRAPHIC-MASS SPECTROMETRY (GC-MS)

The extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from polluted soil samples using microwave-assisted solvent extraction (MASE) with subsequent determination by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was investigated. The optimum conditions for the extraction were established and, after cleansing the extracts, pollutants were quantified by GC-MS. The detection limits for the 16 USEPA members of the family, analysis time, precision and linear range of the analysis were also established. The proposed extraction methodology was compared with the most conventional Soxhlet extraction technique, and validated by applying MASE to a reference soil sample. Good recoveries for the majority of PAHs (when the calibrations were carried out by using internal standards), a significant shortening of the time of analysis and the volume-reduction of solvent used were observed. Therefore, the MASE sample preparation methodology is a very good alternative to the extraction of PAHs from soil samples before final determination by GC-MS.