SUPERCRITICAL FLUID EXTRACTION OF POLYCHLORINATED DIBENZO-PARA-DIOXINS FROM MUNICIPAL INCINERATOR FLY-ASH

The supercritical fluid extraction of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins from an incinerator fly ash sample has been investigated; supercritical nitrous oxide and its mixtures with methanol and toluene were employed as mobile phases. Recoveries of individual polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins congeners were calculated from results of analysis of C-13-labeled dioxins by high resolution GC-MS employing selected ion monitoring. The extraction procedure was compared with extraction in a Soxhlet apparatus, which is currently used as a standard method for removing chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins from fly ash samples: the results indicated that the time required for the extraction and clean-up can be reduced from 24 to 2.5 hours/sample. Quantitative recovery of the chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins was achieved at mu-g/kg levels, the relative standard deviation was between 1.8 and 5.8%. The use of a virtually inert fluid such as pure nitrous oxide provides significant improvement over conventional extraction procedures because no solvent residue is left in the processed extract.