Investigation of Extraction and Collection of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Aqueous Solutions at Different Temperatures

ABSTRACT

A device to extract and collect polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) released from aqueous solutions at different temperatures (13, 50, 80 and 95°C) was constructed. Acenaphthylene (Acy), fluorene (Flu), phenanthrene (Phe), pyrene (Pyr) and benzo(k)fluoranthene B(k)F were used in this study. The PAHs were dragged off from the samples at sub-boiling temperatures by a heated argon flow. The released PAHs were collected in solid adsorbents and acetonitrile cold traps, as well. HPLC-UV was used to quantify the mixtures of PAHs released from the aqueous solutions. Among the investigated PAHs, only the heaviest B(k)F was not extracted at all. The extraction yields were calculated for each temperature of the argon flow, namely: at 95°C, Acy 67.19%, Flu 44.54%, Phe 43.97% and Pyr 36.50%; at 80°C, Acy 62.08%, Flu 49.53%, Phe 31.53% and Pyr 15.72%; at 50°C, Acy 47.07%, Flu 28.89%, Phe 14.75% and Pyr 0.00%; and at 13°C, Acy 11.80%, Flu 6.80%, Phe 0.00% and Pyr 0.00%.

KEYWORDS:

• Amberlite XAD-2 resin
• drag of PAHs
• PAHs collection
• polyurethane foam

Funding

The authors are grateful to the Brazilian government agencies CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) for Mr. Luis M. Ferraz's doctorate degree scholarship and CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) for the master degree scholarship for Miss. Rejane S. Cargnin.