Pollen grains as a low-cost, green, alternative sorbent for hydrophilic solid-phase extraction

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Green Chemistry

Background:

• Natural products show promise as eco-friendly sorbents for organic compounds.
• Limited research exists on using green materials for solid-phase extraction (SPE) of organic acids.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate pollen grains as a hydrophilic sorbent for organic acid extraction.
• To optimize extraction parameters and validate the method for soil analysis.

Main Methods:

• Characterization of pollen sorbent using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy.
• Experimental screening of parameters using Plackett-Burman design.
• Optimization of key parameters via central composite design and response surface methodology.
• Quantification using high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection and mass spectrometry.

Main Results:

• Pollen grains demonstrated effective hydrophilic sorbent properties.
• Optimized parameters significantly enhanced extraction efficiency.
• Phenolic acids were successfully extracted and quantified from soil samples.
• Pollen proved a viable alternative to bare silica for SPE.

Conclusions:

• Pollen grains are a sustainable, green, and safe alternative sorbent for SPE.
• The developed method is effective for analyzing phenolic acids in environmental samples.
• This approach supports the use of natural products in analytical chemistry.