Development and validation of a gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for analyzing the polycyclic...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Marine Biology

Background:

• Microplastic pollution is a growing global concern, with significant implications for marine ecosystems.
• Microplastics act as vectors for persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
• Accurate analytical methods are crucial for assessing PAH contamination in marine environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a standard analytical method for determining PAHs in microplastics from seawater.
• To optimize the QuEChERS extraction protocol for PAH analysis.
• To investigate the sources of PAHs associated with marine microplastics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Rugged, and Safe) technique.
• Employed gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for sensitive and specific PAH detection.
• Optimized extraction parameters including solvent, volume, and time for 16 priority PAHs.

Main Results:

• Achieved low detection limits for PAHs, ranging from 0.1 to 0.8 ng g⁻¹.
• Demonstrated high method recovery rates, between 81.23% ± 6.1% and 102.3% ± 6.4%.
• Measured total PAH concentrations (∑16PAHs) in microplastics from seawater between 85.7 and 3166.1 ng g⁻¹.

Conclusions:

• The developed QuEChERS-GC-MS method is accurate and precise for analyzing PAHs in marine microplastics.
• Pyrogenic sources were identified as the primary contributors to PAH pollution in the studied microplastics.
• The method provides a valuable tool for environmental monitoring and risk assessment of microplastic-associated pollutants.