Microwave-assisted extraction method for organochlorinated pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls from compost

A laboratory study was conducted to determine the recoveries for selected organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by a new microwave assisted extraction (MAE) method developed for compost. The organic matter content of the compost samples is very high and partly soluble in the extraction solvent. Florisil was used as the adsorbent in the cleaning procedure for the extract, and found to clean very well and to give good recoveries from a solution containing a high concentration of humic substances, The compost was spiked 24 h prior to the extraction. Pollutant recoveries were higher when the extraction solvent was hexane-acetone (1:1) (91 to 105% with a standard deviation of 4 to 8%) on air-dried compost.