Evaluation of modified Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticle graphene for dispersive solid-phase extraction to determine trace PAHs in seawater

Abstract

In order to investigate the contamination caused by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in seawater, Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticle graphene (Fe₃O₄ MNG) was prepared and modified by micelles to act as an adsorbent for solid-phase microextraction. The method showed satisfactory precision, reproducibility and linear response (R² > 0.9981) over the concentration range of 0.02–2.0 μg L⁻¹. Limits of detection of 16 PAHs ranged from 0.009 to 0.018 μg L⁻¹ (S/N = 3). The recovery of the established method (79.01–99.67%) was higher than that of the conventional solid-phase extraction method (29.27–88.04%). The enrichment factors of the PAHs were in the range of 53.85–103.64. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of PAHs in seawater samples collected from 56 different sites along the Bohai Sea in North China. The total concentrations of PAHs in seawater ranged between 54.90 and 8137.44 ng L⁻¹.