Collection and separation of extract in dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with hollow fiber

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with collection of the extraction phase with the hollow fiber was applied to the extraction of estrogens from environmental water samples. 1-Undecanol with relatively lower toxicity was used as the extraction solvent. The hollow fiber was used to collect the extraction phase containing the analytes from the aqueous phase. Hollow fibers collecting the extraction phase were eluted with acetonitrile and the resulting eluate was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. Several parameters, including pH of sample, the type and volume of the extraction and dispersive solvent, salt concentration, extraction time, and collection time were optimized. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the limits of detection for estriol, 17α-estradiol, and ethynylestradiol were 4.58, 1.41, and 1.41 μg L(-1), respectively. When the present method was applied to the analysis of real water samples, the recoveries of estrogens at two spiked levels were in the range of 55.8-107.4%. In this method, the separation of the extraction phase and aqueous phase becomes easy with no need for centrifugation, refrigeration-thaw, or any special device. The hollow fiber was commercially available and the collection procedure was easy to perform, which make the present method have potential for automation and wide promotion. Small sizes of pores on the walls of the hollow fibers can block large molecules, which makes the present method have the potential for the treatment of complex matrices.