Enhanced extraction of polychlorinated organic compounds from soil samples by fluidized-bed extraction (FBE)

The extraction and determination of polychlorinated organic compounds, like hexachlorobenzene, pentachlorobenzene, octachlorostyrene and polychlorinated biphenyls in soils and solid wastes continues to be a subject for study. In this work Soxhlet extraction and a new extraction technique, fluidized-bed extraction, have been compared. The extraction of polychlorinated organic compounds by this technique has been optimized using experiemental design procedures. The variation of the number of extraction cycles, composition of extraction solvent (mixtures of n-hexane-acetone) and the holding time after reaching the hearing temperature were considering as experimental variables to generate a surface response design. Gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection was used to determine levels of the analytes in the extracts. Extraction and analysis of a certified reference material (BCR CRM 392) showed the applicability of the method.