Extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from highly contaminated soils: a comparison between Soxhlet, microwave and supercritical fluid extraction techniques

A direct comparison between Soxhlet, microwave-assisted extraction and supercritical fluid extraction is made. Each technique was used to extract sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from a native, contaminated soil. The total amounts of PAHs found were 297.4, 422.9 and 458.0 mg kg–1 using Soxhlet, microwave-assisted extraction and supercritical fluid extraction. The merits and disadvantages of each extraction technique is discussed.