Evaluating the adsorption performance of Tenax TA® in different containers: An isolation tool to study the bioaccessibility of nitro-PAHs in spiked soil

Abstract The improved in vitro gastrointestinal simulation methods, with the addition of the adsorption sink, are considered as a promising tool for predicting the bioaccessibility of contaminants. However, the problem associated with the recovery of the adsorption sink from the complex matrix needs more understand. Although previous studies tried to solve this shortcoming by using the containers (a vessel to hold the adsorption sink), there is no systematic comparison study on the impact of containers on bioaccessibility till now, especially for nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs). In order to understand the problem, commonly used containers in previous studies (dialysis bags and stainless-steel screen) were selected and deployed in the Fed Organic Estimation Human Simulation Test (FOREhST) method to compare the effects of these containers on the bioaccessibility of nitro-PAHs desorbed from the five different types of soils into the gastrointestinal fluid (GIF). Results showed that in order to maintain a constant sorptive gradient for the high molecular weight (MW) nitro-PAHs, 0.25 g of Tenax TA® were required in FOREhST. Compared with Tenax TA® encapsulated in dialysis bag (Tenax-EDBG), the use of Tenax TA® encapsulated in dissolution basket (Tenax-EDBT) significantly increased the bioaccessibility of nitro-PAHs in the soil from 5.6–31.4% to 17.2–70.6%, due to the better diffusion performance. The bioaccessibility of nitro-PAHs by FOREhST extraction with Tenax-EDBT showed a significant negative correlation with soil total organic carbon (TOC), whereas a weak correlation with pH. This study provides the researchers with a more standardized in vitro method to quantify the bioaccessibility of PAHs and their derivatives in soil.