Determination of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Soil, Sediment, and Waste Samples using the SpeedExtractor E-916

Introduction

Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) are a family of several hundred chemical compounds made from crude oil. TPH are found in soils and water. Exposure to TPH can affect human health and, therefore many laboratories around the world are analyzing TPH levels in the environment. This application note describes the extraction of TPH from soil, sediment, and waste samples using the SpeedExtractor E-916. The determination of TPH was done by GC-FID. The results show that the SpeedExtractor delivered reliable results with good recoveries. The extraction used 70 ml of solvent per replicate and required only 30 min.

TPH is the general term used to describe a family of several hundred chemical compounds that are made from crude oil. TPH are released from industry, commercial, or personal use. They are found in soil and water. Exposure to TPH such as gasoline or diesel fuel can affect human health. Therefore, TPH levels are monitored globally.

This application note describes the extraction of TPH from soil, sediment, and waste samples using the SpeedExtractor E-916. The determination of TPH was performed by GC-FID. This application meets the requirements of the U.S. EPA Method 3545A and the ISO 16703 and EN 14039 Standards [1,2].