Fast determination of phenols in contaminated soils

An extraction method for the determination of phenols in contaminated soils, based on the application of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with GC–flame ionization detection analysis, was developed and tested. This method was developed using a natural soil spiked with phenol to a concentration level typical of an acute contamination event that can occur in an industrial site. The effects of the extraction parameters (pH, extraction time and salt concentration) on the extraction efficiency were studied and the method was then applied to determine the pollutant concentration at the beginning and during the biological treatment of a soil, contaminated with phenol and 3-chlorophenol, respectively. The SPME results were validated by comparison with those obtained with an US Environmental Protection Agency certified extraction method. The SPME method was also successfully applied to the determination of the adsorption behavior of 3-chlorophenol on a natural clay soil and was shown to be suitable for different matrices and phenolic compounds. Application of SPME technique results in a sharp reduction of the extraction times with negligible solvent consumption.