Combined experimental design and information theory for the optimization of supercritical fluid extraction of organic priority pollutants from sediment

Optimization of the supercritical extraction (SFE) of incurred n-alkanes, PAHs and PCBs from a marine sediment has been carried out by a central composite experimental design maximizing the content of extracted analytes and minimizing the information gain compared with Soxhlet extraction (MeOH:CH2Cl2). Distributions of individual compounds found in the SFE optimized by the information gain theory were closer to the Soxhlet results. Furthermore, only the n-alkanes exhibited concurrent concentration maxima and minimum information gain. PCBs and PAHs exhibited optima at different extraction conditions.