Efficient solid-phase extraction procedures for trace enrichment of priority phenols from industrial effluents with high total organic carbon content

Polymeric solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges and Speedisks were used t o extract 17 phenols from HPLC-grade water, tap water, river water and indu strial effluents. With SPE cartridges, recoveries between 60 and 120% were obtained for waters with a total organic carbon (TOC) content below 20 mg C /l. However, when extracting industrial effluent waters with higher TOC val ues (75 mg C/l), only the polar phenols were recovered from the water fract ion. Nonpolar compounds (di-, tri- and tetrachlorophenols) remained attache d to the particulate matter and were recovered from the 0.45-mu m filter me mbrane disks by Soxhlet extraction. Speedisks offered a high efficiency and permitted one to extract phenols without a prior filtration step. Acceptab le recoveries were obtained when processing heavily charged industrial effl uents with a TOC of 505 mg C/l. Liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection was used for the routine determination of 17 priority phenols. (C ) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.