An integrated extraction method coupling Pressurized Solvent Extraction, Solid Phase Extraction and Solid-Phase Micro Extraction for the quantification of selected organic pollutants in air by gas and liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract The continuous release of chemicals in the environment is nowadays a main concern due to their harmful effects. In this paper, a new and efficient extraction and analytical method for the assessment of 103 pesticides, 17 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 22 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), using passive samplers for the assessment of the ambient air pollution in Strasbourg region was proposed. The samplers used were based on XAD®-2 resins and on NMC@SiC foams. The proposed extraction procedure was based on pressurized solvent extraction (PSE) followed by a solid-phase extraction (SPE) prior to chromatographic analysis. Afterwards, extracts were analyzed using liquid and gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometer. However, prior to the gas chromatography (GC) analysis a pre-concentration / pre-injection step based on solid-phase microextraction (SPME) was used. Moreover, the developed method was tested for the extraction solvent used, the extraction time needed for each step as well as the cartridge type required for SPE and the fiber type used for SPME. Subsequently, the method was validated for its linearity proved for a determination coefficient (R2) higher than 0.98 for the majority of the assessed compounds, accuracy and precision. These two parameters were validated by the low relative standard deviation obtained for repeatability and reproducibility, the low limits of detection and quantification respectively ranged between 0.01 and 153.2 ng. sampler−1 and 0.03 and 459.2 ng. sampler−1 as well as the high recoveries ranged between 76 % and 99 % for all assessed compounds.