Application of Focused Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction to the Determination of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Soil Samples

• Published in: Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology 2015-08, Vol.95 (2), p.207-214
• Main Authors: Flores-Ramírez, R., Medellín-Garibay, S. E., Castillo, C. G., Ilizaliturri-Hernández, C. A., Zuki-Orozco, B. A., Batres-Esquivel, L., Díaz-Barriga, F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Chromatography, Gas - methods; Correlation coefficient; Detectors; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Extraction; Gas chromatography; Intervals; Ionization; Low concentrations; Persistent organic pollutants; Pollutants; Pollution; Reproducibility; Reproducibility of Results; Soil (material); Soil contamination; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil Science & Conservation; Toxicity; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasonics; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control
• ISSN: 0007-4861; 1432-0800
• DOI: 10.1007/s00128-015-1545-1

A simple and rapid focused ultrasound extraction (FU) based method is presented for the determination of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in soil using a gas chromatography coupled to a mass detector with electron impact ionization. The main experimental parameters affecting the FU step have been optimized by applying a PERMANOVA and PCO analysis allowing us to obtain a maximum amount of information with a minimum number of assays. The limits of detection for POPs fell within the 0.9–6.8 ng/g d.w. interval; a linear method was used with correlation coefficients (r) higher than 0.99. Recovery percentages at low concentrations (25 ng/g d.w.) were 75.8 %–110 %, and at high concentrations (75 ng/g d.w.) 82.3 %–109 %; the evaluated precision as RSD% of repeatability and reproducibility were within a range of 0.5 %–11 % and 0.3 %–18 %, respectively.