Fast extraction of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran in sewage sludge and soil samples

ABSTRACT

The current environmental legislations recommend monitoring chemical contaminants such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans before the use of sewage sludge on the agricultural land. In this study, a solid–liquid extraction with low-temperature purification (SLE-LTP) was optimized and validated to determine 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran in sewage sludge and soil samples. The analyses were performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry operating in the selective ion mode (GC-MS-SIM). Acetonitrile:ethyl acetate 6.5:1.5 (v/v) was the best extraction phase, and the recoveries percentages were close to 100%. The linearity was demonstrated in the range of 1.25–25 µg L⁻¹ of 1.25–20 µg L⁻¹ for sewage sludge and soil, respectively. Matrix effect was proved for the two compounds and in the two matrices studied. Extraction percentages were between 78 and 109% and relative standard deviations ≤ 19%. The proposed method is faster than methods described in the literature because showed a few steps. The quantification limits (LOQ) in sewage sludge were 6.4 and 32 ng TEQ kg⁻¹ for 2,3,7,8-TCDF and 2,3,7,8-TCDD, respectively. In soil, LOQs were 0.8 and 8.0 ng TEQ kg⁻¹ for 2,3,7,8-TCDF and 2,3,7,8-TCDD, respectively. These values are lower than the maximum residue limits established by European Legislation. The method was applied to 22 agricultural soil samples from different Brazilian cities and 2,3,7,8-TCDF was detected in one of these samples.

KEYWORDS:

• Biosolids
• SLE-LTP
• dioxins and furans

Funding

The authors thank the Research Foundation of the State of Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) (APQ-01809-13) and the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) (307381/2015-3) for the financial support and the research fellowships, as well as the Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) for the financial support and the infrastructure provided.