Microwave-assisted extraction of organochlorine compounds in marine sediments with organized molecular systems

Abstract

Analysis of marine sediments is particulary important because they are considered pollution indicators, since they present a view of the spatial distribution of pollutants. The use of micro- wave energy enables a simple and rapid analysis of different kinds of compounds present in these media. This work shows the results obtained during the optimization process for the application of microwave-assisted extraction methodology (MAE) to the determination of polychlorinated di- benzofurans (PCDFs), present in different marine sediment samples, as well as in mixtures with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), using lwo non-ionic surfactants (oligoethylene glycol mono- alkyl ether and polyoxyethylene 10 lauryl ether) as extractants. After extraction, the organochlori- nated compounds are determined by HPLC using fluorescence detection. Recovery rates are compared with those obtained when Soxhlet extraction is used for the same purpose.