COMBINATION OF MICELLAR EXTRACTION AND GC-ECD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF POLYCHLORINATED-BIPHENYLS (PCBS) IN WATER

The application of the solvent-free micellar extraction as an alternat ive method to the liquid-liquid extraction for the enrichment of polyc hlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from ultrapure and natural water is presen ted. A nonionic surfactant was used to preconcentrate the PCBs. After a clean-up consisting of two columns (silica gel and Florisil) the ana lytes were identified and quantified by GC-ECD. Recoveries for spiked water were up to 100%. For highly contaminated seepage water of landfi lls liquid-liquid extraction is involving great problems with the phas e separation of water and solvent. According to our results, the micel lar extraction is superior to the liquid-liquid extraction for this di fficult kind of aqueous matrix.