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Updated: Jun 28, 2026
09:34
Extraction and Characterization of Surfactants from Atmospheric Aerosols
Published on: April 21, 2017
An environmentally friendly multicommutated alternative to the reference method for anionic surfactant determination
Eva Ródenas-Torralba1, Boaventura F Reis, Angel Morales-Rubio
1Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Valencia, Research Building, 50 Dr. Moliner St., 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain.
Talanta
|October 31, 2008
Summary
A new mechanized procedure for determining anionic surfactants, like sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), in water significantly reduces organic solvent waste by 35 times. This method maintains high sensitivity and repeatability for accurate water quality analysis.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Environmental Science
- Spectrophotometry
Background:
- Anionic surfactants, such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), are common water pollutants.
- Traditional spectrophotometric methods for SDS determination often involve significant organic solvent use.
- There is a need for more environmentally friendly and efficient analytical techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a fully mechanized spectrophotometric procedure for anionic surfactant determination.
- To reduce organic solvent consumption and waste production compared to the reference method.
- To evaluate the method's performance in terms of sensitivity, repeatability, and accuracy.
Main Methods:
- Mechanization of the SDS-methylene blue (MB) reaction and chloroform extraction.
- Implementation of a multicommutation approach for automation.
- Spectrophotometric measurement of anionic surfactants in water samples.
Main Results:
- Achieved a 35-fold reduction in waste production.
- Maintained method sensitivity and repeatability within a dynamic linear range of 0.2 to 1.7 mg/L.
- Obtained comparable results to the reference method for washing water samples.
- Demonstrated low solvent consumption (0.7 mL/determination) and high throughput (40 determinations/hour).
- Reported a limit of detection of 6.1x10(-9) mol/L (1.7 μg/L).
Conclusions:
- The developed mechanized procedure offers an efficient and environmentally sound alternative for SDS determination.
- The method provides accurate and reliable results for water quality monitoring.
- Reduced solvent usage and waste generation align with green chemistry principles.
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