Comparative efficiency of soxhlet and accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) methods for dioxin/furan analysis in ash samples: A green chemistry perspective

Abstract

Soxhlet extraction method was developed several hundred years ago, remains the standard method for dioxin/furan extraction today. Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), a modern technique, was designed to address some of the limitations of Soxhlet extraction, including longer extraction times, excessive solvent use, and limited automation. Fly ash and bottom ash samples collected from an aluminum scrap smelter were analyzed for dioxins and furans using both ASE and Soxhlet methods, followed by analysis on HRGC/HRMS equipment. The TEQ values of PCDD/Fs in the fly ash and bottom ash samples were found to be 3,689 ng TEQ/kg and 13.7 ng TEQ/kg, respectively. The congeners OCDF, OCDD, and 1,2,3,4,..