Accelerated solvent extraction -: More efficient extraction of POPs and PAHs from real contaminated plant and soil samples

Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) is extraordinarily effective once the operating variables solvent, temperature and pressure have been optimized. The extraction temperatures of 40 and 120 degreesC for plant samples and 80 and 140 degreesC for soil samples represent key temperatures for the extraction of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from real contaminated sample material. At these temperatures the highest extraction efficiency is reached. The efficiency increases with the complexity of matrix and the degree of multiple contamination of the sample. ASE provides a better extraction quality often with higher analysis findings for organochlorines (HCH isomers, pp'-DDT and its degradation products p,p'-DDE and p,p'-DDD, chlorobenzenes, polychlorinated biphenyls) and PAHs, exceeding conventional techniques such as ultrasonic extraction and Soxhlet extraction up to 1-2 orders of magnitude.