MICROEXTRACTION OF BTEX COMPOUNDS FROM WATER SAMPLES USING OLIVE OIL DROPLETS

A novel, simple, and efficient sample preparation method was developed for microextraction of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) from water samples before gas chromatographic analysis. Separation and preconcentration is based on the dispersion of olive oil microdrops as an extraction solvent. The influence of microextraction conditions such as type and volume of oil and back extraction solvent, ionic strength, extraction temperature, and extraction time were evaluated. Under optimal conditions, the enrichment factors, dynamic linear ranges, limits of detection, and precision of the method were studied. The proposed method was successfully applied for BTEX determination from water samples by GC-FID.