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.

Underground storage tanks containing hydrocarbon-based fuels are found worldwide. Many of these tanks have leaks, allowing gasoline, diesel, oil, or other hydrocarbon materials to contaminate the surrounding soil. Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) is an innovative sample preparation technique to achieve fast and efficient removal of analytes of interest from various matrices. This application note reports on the use of ASE for the extraction of diesel range organics (DRO), waste oil organics (WOO), and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH, the sum of DRO and WOO) from soils.

The use of ASE in the extraction of OPP compounds from solid wastes is a more convenient, faster, and less solvent-intensive method than previously available. OPP recoveries by ASE are equivalent to recoveries from Soxhlet and other methods. ASE also avoids the problem of multiple washing procedures associated with sonication. This method is applicable to the extraction of water-insoluble or slightly water-soluble organophosphorus pesticides in preparation for gas chromatographic measurements. This method is applicable to soils, solid wastes, and sediments containing 250–2500 μg/kg of OPPs.

Accelerated solvent extraction is an innovative sample preparation technique that combines elevated temperatures and pressures with liquid solvents to achieve fast and efficient removal of analytes of interest from various matrices. Accelerated solvent extraction has been demonstrated to be equivalent to existing extraction methodologies such as Soxhlet and automated Soxhlet for most RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) analytes from solid and semisolid samples. It meets the requirements of U.S. EPA Method 3545, Pressurized Fluid Extraction.