Microwave assisted micellar extraction coupled with solid phase microextraction for the determination of organochlorine pesticides in soil samples

Superhydrophobic Nanosilica Decorated Electrospun Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanofibers for Headspace Solid Phase Microextraction of 16 Organochlorine Pesticides in Environmental Water Samples

A new solid phase micro extraction (SPME) fiber coating composed of electrospun polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanofibrous mat doped with superhydrophobic nanosilica (SiO2) was coated on a stainless-steel wire without the need of a binder. The coating was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) techniques and it was used in headspace-SPME of 16 organochlorine pesticides in water samples prior to gass chromatography micro electron capture detector (GC-µECD) analysis. The effects of main factors such as adsorption composition, electrospinning flow rate, salt concentration, extraction temperature, extraction time, and desorption conditions were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the linear dynamic range (8−1000 ng L−1, R2 > 0.9907), limits of detection (3−80 ng L−1), limits of quantification (8−200 ng L−1), intra-day and inter-day precisions (at 400 and 1000 ng L−1, 1.7−13.8%), and fiber-to-fiber reproducibility (2.4−13.4%) were evaluated. The analysis of spiked tap, sewage, industrial, and mineral water samples for the determination of the analytes resulted in satisfactory relative recoveries (78−120%).

In-situ sorbent formation for the extraction of pesticides from honey

An organic polymer was re-precipitated in solution to use as an adsorbent in dispersive solid phase extraction of some pesticides from honey samples prior to their determination by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. In this approach, different deep eutectic solvents were prepared using lysine and their ability in elution of the analytes from the adsorbent surface were tested. A diluted honey solution was transferred into a glass test tube and then a solution of polystyrene dissolved in dimethylformamide was injected into the solution. By doing this, polystyrene re-precipitated in the solution and dispersed in whole parts of it as many tiny particles. Then the mixture was centrifuged and the adsorbed analytes on the particles were eluted using a proper hydrophilic deep eutectic solvent. Central composite design approach was used for optimization of effective parameters. The limits of detection and quantification were in the ranges of 0.06-0.20 and 0.22-0.69 ng/g, respectively. The calibration curves obtained by matrix-matched standard solutions were linear in the range of 0.69-500 ng/g with coefficient of determinations ≥0.9962. The method provided high extraction recoveries (70-99%) and enrichment factors (140-198), and an acceptable precision (relative standard deviations ≤7.1%). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aquatic animals: a systematic review on analytical advances and challenges

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the main component of petroleum, are a concern due to their environmental persistence, long-range transport, and potential toxic effects on animal, human health, and the environment. PAHs are considered persistent compounds and can be bioaccumulated in sediments and aquatic biota. Determining PAHs in animals and environmental samples consists of three steps: extraction, clean-up or purification, and analytical determination. The matrix complexity and the diversity of environmental contaminants, such as PAHs resulted in the development of numerous analytical techniques and protocols for the extraction of these components and analysis in several samples. This systematic review article seeks to relate the extraction and preparation methods of complex samples from aquatic animals and the two main detection techniques of PAHs. For the elaboration of the research, 67 articles published between 2011 and 2021 were sought, which specifically contemplated the isolation of aquatic extracts and detection and quantification techniques of PAHs.

Dynamic Microwave-Assisted Micelle Extraction Coupled with Cloud Point Preconcentration for the Determination of Triazine Herbicides in Soil

A green and simple method, dynamic microwave-assisted micelle extraction coupled with cloud point preconcentration, was developed for the determination of triazine herbicides in soil samples. The method has the advantages of those two extraction procedures, which could eliminate the interferences from complex soil samples greatly. Non-ionic surfactant Triton X-114 aqueous solution used as extraction solvent was continuously pumped into soil samples. The resulting extract was heated and centrifuged in the presence of NaCl. After centrifugation, the analytes were enriched into the surfactant-rich phase. No filtration or cleaning steps were required. Several key parameters were investigated. The Box-Behnken design was applied to optimize the experimental factors involved in the dynamic microwave-assisted micelle extraction. Good linearity was observed in the range of 1.00-250.00 μg kg-1. The limits of detection were ranged between 0.26 and 1.71 μg kg-1. The recoveries of analytes ranged from 80.3 to 98.3% with the relative standard deviations ranging from 1.1 to 6.6%.

Pesticides in aquatic environments and their removal by adsorption methods

Although pesticides are widely used in agriculture, industry and households, they pose a risk to human health and ecosystems. Based on target organisms, the main types of pesticides are herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, of which herbicides accounted for 46% of the total pesticide usage worldwide. The movement of pesticides into water bodies occurs through run-off, spray drift, leaching, and sub-surface drainage, all of which have negative impacts on aquatic environments and humans. We sought to define the critical factors affecting the fluxes of contaminants into receiving waters. We also aimed to specify the feasibility of using sorbents to remove pesticides from waterways. In Karun River in Iran (1.21 × 10⁵ ng/L), pesticide concentrations are above regulatory limits. The concentration of pesticides in fish can reach 26.1 × 10³ μg/kg, specifically methoxychlor herbicide in Perca fluviatilis in Lithuania. During the last years, research has focused on elimination of organic pollutants, such as pesticides, from aqueous solution. Pesticide adsorption onto low-cost materials can effectively remediate contaminated waters. In particular, nanoparticle adsorbents and carbon-based adsorbents exhibit high performance (nearly 100%) in removing pesticides from water bodies.

Procedures of determining organic trace compounds in municipal sewage sludge-a review

Sewage sludge is the largest by-product generated during the wastewater treatment process. Since large amounts of sludge are being produced, different ways of disposal have been introduced. One tempting option is to use it as fertilizer in agricultural fields due to its high contents of inorganic nutrients. This, however, can be limited by the amount of trace contaminants in the sewage sludge, containing a variety of microbiological pollutants and pathogens but also inorganic and organic contaminants. The bioavailability and the effects of trace contaminants on the microorganisms of soil are still largely unknown as well as their mixture effects. Therefore, there is a need to analyze the sludge to test its suitability before further use. In this article, a variety of sampling, pretreatment, extraction, and analysis methods have been reviewed. Additionally, different organic trace compounds often found in the sewage sludge and their methods of analysis have been compiled. In addition to traditional Soxhlet extraction, the most common extraction methods of organic contaminants in sludge include ultrasonic extraction (USE), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) followed by instrumental analysis based on gas or liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.

One-step green synthesis of β-cyclodextrin/iron oxide-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite with high supramolecular recognition capability: Application for vortex-assisted magnetic solid phase extraction of organochlorine pesticides residue from honey samples

In this research, β-cyclodextrin/iron oxide reduced graphene oxide hybrid nanostructure (β-CD/MRGO) with high water dispersability, excellent magnetic responsivity and molecular selectivity was prepared via a facile one step green strategy. The obtained nanomaterial was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), which confirmed the modification of GO with β-CD and magnetic nanoparticles. The formation mechanism of β-CD/MRGO was also discussed. The prepared magnetic nanocomposite was then applied as adsorbent in the vortex-assisted magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) of 16 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from honey samples prior to gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD) analysis. Optimum extraction conditions have been assessed with respect to vortex time, sample pH, adsorbent amount, and salt concentration as well as desorption conditions (type and volume of desorption solvent and desorption time). A good level of linearity (2-10,000ngkg^-1) with satisfactory determination coefficients (R²>0.9966) and suitable precision (%RSDs less than 7.8) was obtained for OCPs under the optimal conditions. The limits of detection and quantification of the method were obtained in the sub-parts per trillion (ppt) to parts per trillion range (LOD: 0.52-3.21ngkg^-1; LOQ: 1.73-10.72ngkg^-1) based on 3 and 10 signal to noise ratios, respectively. The MSPE method was successfully applied to analysis of OCPs in honey samples with recoveries in the range of 78.8% to 116.2% and RSDs (n=3) below 8.1%. The results demonstrated that β-CD/MRGO could exhibit good supramolecular recognition, enrichment capability and high extraction recoveries toward OCPs.

Analysis of sulfonamides in soil, sediment, and sludge based on dynamic microwave-assisted micellar extraction

A green and high-throughput analytical method was described for the simultaneous determination of ten sulfonamides (SAs) from soil, sediment, and sludge in northeast China. None of potentially hazardous organic solvents was used in the whole sample preparation procedure, and the total preparation time of 15 samples was about 18 min. The limits of detection for the SAs were in the range of 0.42-0.68 ng g(-1). The intra-day and inter-day precisions, expressed by the relative standard deviation, were below 7 %. Under the optimum conditions, the recoveries of ten SAs were between 69.7 and 102.7 %. The proposed method was successfully applied to analyze the SAs residues in agricultural soils, river sediments, and sewage sludge. SAs were found at the levels of 1.40-2.31 ng g(-1) and 3.77-29.29 ng g(-1) in the sediments and sludge, respectively. The aging effect of spiked soil samples on the SAs recoveries was examined, and the results demonstrate that eight SAs could persist in five soils for 3 months. Compared with the traditional method, the proposed method could reduce the consumption of the organic solvent, shorten the sample preparation time, and increase the sample throughput.

Microwave assisted extraction combined with solvent bar microextraction for one-step solvent-minimized extraction, cleanup and preconcentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil samples

For the first time, a novel one-step sample preparation method that combines microwave assisted extraction and solvent bar microextraction (MAE-SBME) with analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), was developed for the fast and efficient determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in environmental soil samples. An interesting feature of the new procedure is that SBME was conducted simultaneously with MAE. Thus, the extract from the SBME could be directly and immediately analyzed by GC-MS. A separate clean up and/or preconcentration process, such as time-consuming and tedious gel permeation chromatography, solid-phase extraction, filtration, or adsorption chromatography, normally associated with conventional MAE, was not necessary. It is also notable that the procedure was environmentally benign since water was used as the extraction solvent in MAE, and only several microliters of organic solvent were used in SBME. Some factors affecting the extraction were studied and optimized. Under the most favorable conditions, the method showed good linearities (between 0.2 and 500, 0.5 and 500, 1 and 500, and 2 and 500 ng/g, depending on the analytes), low limits of detection (from 0.03 to 0.25 ng/g), and satisfactory precision (with relative standard deviations below 9.8%). The MAE-SBME procedure provides a fast and simple sample preparation approach for the processing of environmental soil samples.

Novel approach to microwave-assisted extraction and micro-solid-phase extraction from soil using graphite fibers as sorbent

A single-step extraction-cleanup procedure involving microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and micro-solid-phase extraction (micro-SPE) has been developed for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from soil samples. Micro-SPE is a relatively new extraction procedure that makes use of a sorbent enclosed within a sealed polypropylene membrane envelope. In the present work, for the first time, graphite fiber was used as a sorbent material for extraction. MAE-micro-SPE was used to cleanup sediment samples and to extract and preconcentrate five PAHs in sediment samples prepared as slurries with addition of water. The best extraction conditions comprised of microwave heating at 50 degrees C for a duration of 20 min, and an elution (desorption) time of 5 min using acetonitrile with sonication. Using gas chromatography (GC)-flame ionization detection (FID), the limits of detection (LODs) of the PAHs ranged between 2.2 and 3.6 ng/g. With GC-mass spectrometry (MS), LODs were between 0.0017 and 0.0057 ng/g. The linear ranges were between 0.1 and 50 or 100 microg/g for GC-FID analysis, and 1 and 500 or 1000 ng/g for GC-MS analysis. Granular activated carbon was also used for the micro-SPE device but was found to be not as efficient in the PAH extraction. The MAE-micro-SPE method was successfully used for the extraction of PAHs in river and marine sediments, demonstrating its applicability to real environmental solid matrixes.

Application of NiTi alloy coated with ZrO2 as a new fiber for solid-phase microextraction for determination of halophenols in water samples

A new fiber for solid-phase microextraction (SPME) employing a metallic support coated with an inorganic material is proposed. A nitinol alloy (NiTi) was used as the support material due to its super elasticity and shape memory properties. Zirconium oxide (ZrO2) was electrodeposited onto NiTi using chronoamperometry. The surface characteristics and morphology of the coated and uncoated support were evaluated through scanning electronic microscopy and dispersive energy microanalysis. This assembly was applied in the extraction of three halophenols from aqueous samples. A multivariate approach was used for optimization of the variables involved in the system. The Doehlert matrix was used for evaluation of the best derivatization conditions and a Box-Behnken design to obtain the best extraction conditions. In order to investigate the repeatability, one fiber was used for six extraction tests under similar conditions and the relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) were lower than 12.5%. Detection limits were lower than 0.30 ng mL(-1). Correlation coefficients were higher than 0.997. Extraction efficiency of the NiTi-ZrO2 fiber was similar to a PDMS 7 microm commercial fiber, even though it had a lower coating thickness of 1.35 microm. Considering the amount extracted per unit volume, the NiTi-ZrO2 fiber had a better extraction profile when compared to commercial fibers. The new SPME fiber has a lifetime of over 500 extractions. Thus, it is a promising alternative for low-cost analysis, as the proposed fiber is robust, and easily and inexpensively prepared.

The determination of organochlorine pesticides based on dynamic microwave-assisted extraction coupled with on-line solid-phase extraction of high-performance liquid chromatography

A rapid technique based on dynamic microwave-assisted extraction coupled with on-line solid-phase extraction of high-performance liquid chromatography (DMAE-SPE-HPLC) has been developed. A TM(010) microwave resonance cavity built in the laboratory was applied to concentrate the microwave energy. The sample placed in the zone of microwave irradiation was extracted with 95% acetonitrile (ACN) aqueous solution which was driven by a peristaltic pump at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min(-1). The extraction can be completed in a recirculating system in 10 min. When a number of extraction cycles were completed, the extract (1 mL) was diluted on-line with water. Then the extract was loaded into an SPE column where the analytes were retained while the unretained matrix components were washed away. Subsequently, the analytes were automatically transferred from the SPE column to the analytical column and determined by UV detector at 238 nm. The technique was used for determination of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in grains, including wheat, rice, corn and bean. The limits of detection of OCPs are in the range of 19-37 ng g(-1). The recoveries obtained by analyzing the four spiked grain samples are in the range of 86-105%, whereas the relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) values are <8.7% ranging from 1.2 to 8.7%. Our method was demonstrated to be fast, accurate, and precise. In addition, only small quantities of solvent and sample were required.

Development of a solid-phase microextraction method with micellar desorption for the determination of chlorophenols in water samples

A novel analytical method is presented for the determination of chlorophenols in water. This method involves pre-concentration by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and an external desorption using a micellar medium as desorbing agent. Final analysis of the selected chlorophenols compounds was carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detection (DAD). Optimum conditions for desorption, using the non-ionic surfactant polyoxyethylene 10 lauryl ether (POLE), such as surfactant concentration and time were studied. A satisfactory reproducibility for the extraction of target compounds, between 6 and 15%, was obtained, and detection limits were in the range of 1.1-5.9ngmL(-1). The developed method is evaluated and compared with the conventional one using organic solvent as a desorbing agent. The method was successfully applied to the determination of chlorophenols in water samples from different origin. This study has demonstrated that solid-phase microextraction with micellar desorption (SPME-MD) can be used as an alternative to conventional SPME method for the extraction of chlorophenols in water samples.