Comparison of Extract Methods of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soil Sample

Abstract

In order to extract polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) having 3 to 6 rings from soil, efficiently and quickly, three ultrasonic extraction methods were compared by using a HPLC/FLD method. The total concentrations of 13 kinds of PAHs were in the order, Method 1 (benzene/ethanol, 3:1) › Method 2 (methanol) › Method 3 (hexane), although PAHs having 3 and 4 rings were extracted more efficiently by Method 2 than Method 1. Furthermore, Method 1 showed higher precision than the other methods. These results suggest that Method 1, which is used for atmospheric PAHs, is also a useful method for PAHs in soil.