Optimization of enrichment processes of pentachlorophenol (PCP) from water samples

The method of enriching PCP (pentachlorophenol) from aquatic environment by solid phase extraction (SPE) was studied. Several factors affecting the recoveries of PCP, including sample pH, eluting solvent, eluting volume and flow rate of water sample, were optimized by orthogonal array design (OAD). The optimized results were sample pH 4; eluting solvent, 100% methanol; eluting solvent volume, 2 ml and flow rate of water sample, 4 ml/min. A comparison is made between SPE and liquid-liquid extraction(LLE) method. The recoveries of PCP were in the range of 87.6%-133.6% and 79%-120.3% for SPE and LLE, respectively. Important advantages of the SPE compared with the LLE include the short extraction time and reduced consumption of organic solvents. SPE can replace LLE for isolating and concentrating PCP from water samples.