The following compounds are listed by UNEP to be POPS: • Pesticides: Aldrin, Chlordane, DDT, Dieldrin, Endrin, Heptachlor, Mirex, and Toxaphene • Industrial chemicals: Hexachlorobenzene, and PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) • Chemical by-products (Dioxins): Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD and PCDF) This application note describes methods and results for extraction of the POPs listed above, with tables comparing ASE to traditional extraction methods.

Compounds used in high explosives may be toxic, carcinogenic, and are found on the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) list. These compounds and their metabolites are monitored in soils and ground waters to ensure compliance with U.S. EPA regulations. This application note reports on the use of ASE for the extraction of explosive compounds such as HMX, RDX, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), and some of their known metabolites from soils.

Organotin compounds are a highly versatile group of organometallic chemicals used in industrial and agricultural applications. ASE systems are currently used to replace traditional extraction methods such as sonication and Soxhlet. Using an ASE system, extracts can be generated in much less time and using significantly less solvent than these traditional methods. ASE systems have been shown to provide better or equivalent recoveries compared to these techniques for compound classes covering a wide range of polarities and exhibiting both high and low levels of bonding to the matrix.

Accelerated solvent extraction is an extraction method that significantly streamlines sample preparation. PCBs are found in many solid waste materials. This AN describes the application of accelerated solvent extraction to the extraction of PCBs from sewage sludge, river sediments, marine sediments, and oyster tissue. The procedures described in this AN meet the requirements for sample extraction of solid samples as determined by U.S. EPA Method 3545.

ASE is included in the SW-846 Methods as U.S. EPA Method 3545 (SW-846 Update III). This method is approved for the extraction of pesticides (OCP, OPP), herbicides, semivolatiles (BNAs), and PCBs from soils, sediments, and sludges. The work reported here discusses the use of ASE for the extraction of PCBs from PUF cartridges. Extraction of PCB congeners and Aroclor® mixtures were performed from two different cartridge sizes. In addition to extraction of the cartridges after sampling, the ASE method described herein can be used to clean the PUFs prior to use.