Magnetic micro-solid-phase-extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Science
• Materials Science

Background:

• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are significant environmental pollutants.
• Accurate detection of PAHs in water samples is crucial for environmental safety.
• Existing methods for PAH analysis can be time-consuming and require complex procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel magnetic sorbent material for enhanced extraction of PAHs.
• To develop and optimize a micro-solid-phase extraction (μ-SPE) method coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for PAH determination.
• To evaluate the efficiency and performance of the developed method for PAH analysis in water samples.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of magnetic chitosan functionalized graphene oxide (MCFG) sorbent with varying magnetic nanoparticle content.
• Characterization of the MCFG material using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy.
• Optimization of μ-SPE parameters including sorbent type, extraction/desorption times, sample volume, and desorption solvent.
• Analysis of seven PAHs using GC-MS after μ-SPE with the optimized MCFG sorbent.

Main Results:

• The MCFG sorbent, particularly the composite with 0.1g Fe3O4, demonstrated superior extraction efficiency.
• The developed μ-SPE-GC-MS method showed excellent linearity (r² > 0.987) for the target PAHs within specified concentration ranges.
• Low limits of detection (0.2-1.8 ng/L) and quantification (0.8-5.9 ng/L) were achieved with good recoveries (67.5-106.9%) and acceptable relative standard deviations (2.1-8.2%).
• High enrichment factors (67-302) were obtained, indicating efficient analyte concentration.

Conclusions:

• Magnetic chitosan functionalized graphene oxide (MCFG) is a highly effective and promising sorbent for μ-SPE of PAHs.
• The developed μ-SPE-GC-MS method offers a sensitive, efficient, and innovative approach for analyzing PAHs in water.
• This method holds potential for routine environmental monitoring and analysis of PAHs.