Extraction and determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples using stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) combined with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction based on the solidification of floating organic drop (DLLME-SFO) followed by HPLC-UV

Stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) combined with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction based on the solidification of floating organic drop (DLLME-SFO) was developed for the extraction and determination of some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in different aqueous samples. The extracted PAHs were separated and determined using high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV). Some important extraction parameters were studied and optimized. The new SBSE-DLLME-SFO method provided high enrichment factors in the range of 1630-2637. The calibration graphs were linear in the range of 0.02-400 μg L −1 and the limits of detection (LODs) were in the range of 0.0067-0.010 μg L −1 for this technique. The optimized method exhibited a good precision level with relative standard deviations (RSDs%) values between 2.17% and 6.92%. The proposed method was successfully applied to the extraction of three PAHs in different spiked water samples. The proposed method offers advantages, such as low consumption of organic solvents, high enrichment factors and good linearity, over the investigated concentration range.