COMPARISON OF VARIOUS EXTRACTION AND CLEANUP METHODS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC-HYDROCARBONS IN SEWAGE SLUDGE-AMENDED SOILS

Different extraction and clean-up methods for the determination of pol ycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sewage sludge-amended soil wer e investigated. Soxhlet plus saponification extraction and silica gel clean-up provided the best results. HPLC with a programmable fluoresce nce detector performed accurate identification and quantification of P AHs. The initial PAH concentrations in sewage sludge-amended soil rang ed from 8 ng/g for benzo[a]fluoranthene to 93 ng/g for phenanthrene, w ith a total PAH concentration of 417 ng/g. The weathering of PAHs in s ludged soil was monitored for a 141-day period. The results indicated that low-molecular-mass PAHs were susceptible to abiotic and biotic lo ss processes.