Initial Work on Automating Dispersive Liquid-Liquid MicroExtraction (DiLLME) for EPA 8270

Martin Perkins

15th December 2017

The United States Environment Protection Agency (USEPA) Method 8270 methodology is widely used for solid, liquid and gaseous analysis of environmental samples using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). This method contains over 70 analytes, including Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Pesticides, and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). For many environmental laboratories it is a labour intensive, routine high throughput analysis and therefore alternative approaches could provide new possibilities and offer considerable advantages. Early development work using Dispersive Liquid-Liquid MicroExtraction (DiLLME) carried out by John Quick at ALS Environmental shows significant promise as a fully automated approach. Advantages include smaller sample sizes and less use of solvent, reducing both costs and environmental impact. Excellent detection limits and good linearity was achieved on a number of analytes in the test mixture, demonstrating the performance of this approach.