A simplified HPTLC screening method for the estimation of the PAH content in soil samples

Based on a highly significant correlation between the visual fluorescing fraction of PAH on the one hand and the total EPA-PAH16 content in mineral soils on the other hand, a deliberately incomplete RP-TLC separation of these compounds into a few fingerprint-like compressed bands within a determined "PAH window" has been achieved. The resulting band-pattern does not interfere normally with the more or less non-polar phenolic compounds which are associated with natural soil humic substances. The extraction step has been extremely simplified with regard to the quantity of the soil sample and of the extractant. The accuracy of this procedure has been ascertained by means of recovery experiments with an artificial soil enriched with PAH. A single spot application mode and an evaluation scheme allow the estimation of EPA-PAH16 contents of soil samples in relation to threshold values (1 or 5 or 10 mg/kg). This HPTLC screening method has been compared against standard HPLC methods. The simplified extraction step and the separation by HPTLC minimizes the actual costs and the time spent per sample.