Quantitative determination of organic priority pollutants in sewage sludge by GC/MS

An analytical method for the simultaneous determination of organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, PAHs, phthalates, chloroaromatics, phenolics, phenoxy acids and other base/neutral compounds in sewage sludge is described. Spiked sewage sludge samples were extracted with a mixture of dichloromethane/diethyl ether under basic and acidic conditions. The combined extracts were fractionated via gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Phthalates, recovered in the initial GPC fraction, were further cleaned up on a Florisil column and their presence confirmed by GC/MS. The target analytes, recovered in a separate GPC fraction, were treated with diazomethane and analyzed by GC/MS. Method performance based on the recoveries of target compounds from spiked sludge samples is discussed. Over 100 organic analytes can be determined in a single sludge sample by this method.