Semina: Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas (Feb 2006)
Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils using ultrasonic agitation, heater/mini condenser tube and gaseous chromatography
Abstract
The increase in the number of gas stations in Brazil made it also possible the increase in the risk of underground waters contamination due to fuel spill. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are petroleum-derived components and constitute a group of organic pollutants which are persistent in the environment and have highly carcinogenic capacity. In this work it was developed a PAHs analysis methodology in soils for quantifying these components, using the gaseous chromatography technique, through the optimization and validation of the chromatographic as well as the extraction, concentration and purification conditions of the PAHs. A good resolution for the sixteen PAHs was obtained, with retention times ranging from 6.1 to 43.7 minutes. The tube-heater/mini condenser system used for the solvent evaporation also showed satisfactory recovery for the naphthalene (83%) as well as the extraction method by ultrasonic agitation with dichloromethane, obtaining recoveries that ranged from 74 to 104%. The analysis method proved to be appropriate for the quantification of the 16 PAHs in the evaluation of the environmental contamination in gas stations.
