Ordered Nanoporous Carbon Based Solid-Phase Microextraction for the Analysis of Nitroaromatic Compounds in Aqueous Samples

In this paper, the possibility of using a new ordered nanoporous carbon as a new fiber in headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) to determine of mononitrotoluenes (MNTs) in waste water is demonstrated. The structural order and textural properties of the ordered nanoporous carbon were studied by X Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images and nitrogen adsorption isotherms. The analysis was done on a gas chromatograph equipped with flame ionization detector and capillary column. The main factors affecting the MNT compounds extraction such as rate of stirring sample solution, sample solution volume, ion strength of sample solution, extraction time and temperature have been investigated and established. Optimization of these parameters was done by Taguchi method and Orthogonal Array Design (OAD). The effects of these parameters were investigated using the analysis of variance (ANOVA). Under the optimum conditions, recovery values were between 87.1% and 106.2%, Limit Of Detections (LODs) ranged from 0.01 g/L to 0.16 g/L and Linear Dynamic Range (LDR) of 0.5–400 g/L was obtained. Relative standard deviation of single fiber and fiber-to-fiber (n=4) was in the range of 3.7-4.2% and 7.3-8.9%. Performance of the present method was evaluated for extraction and determination of nitroaromatic compounds in wastewater samples in the range of microgram per liter and satisfactory results were obtained.