Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in solid matrices using automated cold fiber headspace solid phase microextraction technique

•Cold fiber SPME system was investigated theoretically and experimentally.•Programmed coating temperature method was optimized for higher extraction efficiency.•Good solution was achieved for the extraction of PAHs from soil matrix.•Convenient to facilitate high throughput solventless determinations

The extraction efficiency of analytes in a cold fiber headspace solid-phase microextraction (CF-HS-SPME) system was investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The system was applied for quantitative extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from solid matrices. In order to achieve better extraction efficiency for PAHs, a method with programmed coating temperature was considered and optimized, leading to higher extraction efficiency for most studied analytes when compared with traditional methods. After optimization of extraction with the programmed coating temperature method, the recoveries were above 90% for the majority of tested compounds from the sand matrix, resulting in exhaustive extraction. Certified reference soil was used to evaluate the cold fiber SPME system. Several organic solvents were used to improve the extraction efficiency. Diethylamine was used successfully to realize the exhaustive extraction for volatile compounds and enhance the recoveries of 60–75% for semi-volatile PAHs. Obtained results indicate that the automated cold fiber extraction is a convenient approach to facilitate high throughput, solventless sample preparation