Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in waste water by off-line coupling of solid-phase microextraction with column liquid chromatography

A new method for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH s) in waste water using solvent-free solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is described. The PAHs are extracted with a 100 mum polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS ) fiber, desorbed in 40 mul acetonitrile and measured with LC and fluoresce nce detection. The detection limits of this very simple method under the gi ven conditions (extraction from 5 mi sample, extraction time 1 h) are in th e range of 1-6 ng l(-1). The standard deviations (n=6) at a concentration l evel of 0.8 mug l(-1) are between 1.8 and 14.4%. The procedure was used for the determination of PAHs in contaminated water samples. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.