Detection and identification of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contamination in soil using intrinsic fluorescence

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as pyrene, benzo[a]pyrene, phenanthrene, and anthracene induce toxic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic effects on living organisms and are considered as primary pollutants. Traditional methods for their identification are often laborious and time-consuming and do not account for the heterogeneous nature of their distribution. Here we present confocal microscopy as a rapid and accurate technique for direct analysis of PAHs in soil samples without the complexity of sample pre-processing which might delay results for several days. The method uses the intrinsic fluorescence of PAHs for detection and their emission spectra for the identification of different PAHs. A clear difference was observed in the fluorescence spectral properties of phenanthrene, pyrene and naphthalene in real-time environmental samples. The post-processing of confocal scans obtained in the detection stage of PAHs was completed through the application of ImageJ software. Intrinsic fluorescence-based detections of PAHs may open new avenues in terms of rapid detection and identification of PAHs in heterogeneous complex soil samples. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are considered as primary pollutants due to their toxic effects. Traditional identification methods are laborious and do not consider the heterogeneous distribution of PAHs. Confocal microscopy is proposed as a rapid and accurate technique for direct analysis of PAHs in soil samples without the complexity of sample pre-processing.