Solid-phase extraction combined with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for the determination for...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are persistent organic pollutants with potential ecological and health risks.
• Accurate determination of PBDEs in diverse environmental matrices is crucial for risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish and validate a novel analytical method for quantifying PBDEs in water and plant samples.
• To assess the efficiency and reliability of the developed method for environmental analysis.

Main Methods:

• Solid-phase extraction (SPE) for sample cleanup and concentration.
• Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) for enhanced analyte isolation.
• Gas chromatography with electron-capture detection (GC-ECD) for sensitive PBDE quantification.

Main Results:

• The SPE-DLLME method achieved high enrichment factors (6838–9405) for water samples.
• Linear calibration curves were obtained for various PBDE congeners within specified ranges.
• Low limits of detection (0.03–0.15 ng L⁻¹ for water, 0.04–0.16 μg kg⁻¹ for plants) and acceptable relative standard deviations (4.2–11.3%) were achieved.
• Good relative recoveries (62.1–110.4%) were observed across different spiked environmental samples.

Conclusions:

• The developed SPE-DLLME method is highly suitable for the sensitive and accurate determination of PBDEs in both water and plant matrices.
• This method provides a robust tool for environmental monitoring and research on PBDE contamination.