Rapid screening method for the total petroleum hydrocarbons in water samples by solid-phase microextraction and GC-MS

Abstract

Determination of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in water is an important tool for monitoring of contamination due to oil spills or leaking storage tanks. In this study, a screening method for the quantification of total petroleum hydrocarbons in water based on solid phase microextraction (SPME) in combination with gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is presented. Extraction of hydrocarbons from water samples were conducted by SPME fiber coating placed into the headspace above water. Petroleum hydrocarbons were desorbed from the fiber coating in the injection port of gas chromatograph. The effect of the following parameters affecting the distribution of the analytes between three phases on the response of TPH were studied: SPME fiber coating type and dimensions, extraction temperature, extraction time and pH. The optimized method uses 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane fiber coating, extraction time 600 s, extraction temperature 80°C, without addition of salt at basic pH. The developed method was successfully applied for detection of total petroleum hydrocarbons in water taken from Koschagyl oil fields and Koschagyl village. © 2012 al-Farabi Kazakh National University.