Chromatography Forum

Hi
I am looking for an standard method or application for analysis of solvents from sewage sludge by GC-MS. please say any additional tip or comments for this application.
Thanks

I have done similar nasty samples by vacuum distillation (EPA method 8261) but you likely don't have access to such equipment. Some type of headspace technique may be required.
You didn't say what type of solvents and at what level. Hydrocarbons may be hard to pick out of the background, depending on the sludge. Chlorinated solvents should be easier to see and chlorinated aromatics even better.

As above, depending on which solvent you are looking for, could most likely use EPA method 8260 with EPA method 5035 purge and trap, it is what we use for sewage sludge analysis for volatile analytes. Semivolatile would be EPA method 8270 with extraction by EPA method 3510C if it is mostly water, or EPA method 3540C if solid, by Soxhlet extraction.

All the methods can be found here https://www.epa.gov/hw-sw846/sw-846-compendium

Depending on the regulations you are bound by, there are also Solid Phase Micro Extraction (SPME) or many other extraction methods you can use to prepare the sample for injection.