Measurement of polychlorinated biphenyls in solid waste such as transformer insulation paper by supercritical fluid extraction and gas chromatography electron capture detection.
In this work, a method for measuring polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in contaminated solid waste was investigated. This waste includes paper that is used in electric transformers to insulate electric components. The PCBs in paper sample were extracted by supercritical fluid extraction and analyzed by gas chromatography-electron capture detection. The recoveries with this method (84-101%) were much higher than those with conventional water extraction (0.08-14%), and were comparable to those with conventional organic solvent extraction. Limit of detection was 0.0074 mg kg(-1) and measurable up to 2.5 mg kg(-1) for 0.5 g of paper sample. Data for real insulation paper by the proposed method agreed well with those by the conventional organic solvent extraction. Extraction from wood and concrete was also investigated and good performance was obtained as well as for paper samples. The supercritical fluid extraction is simpler, faster, and greener than conventional organic solvent extraction.
Division of Environmental Analysis, Nodaichi Denshi Co., 335 Yoyasu, Kumamoto 860-0823, Japan.
Hiroaki
H
Chikushi
Yuka
Y
Fujii
Kei
K
Toda
D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods*; D025924:Chromatography, Supercritical Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D010209:Paper; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis*; D012037:Refuse Disposal
D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls