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Microfluidic liquid-phase microextraction based on natural deep eutectic solvents immobilized in agarose membranes
Samira Dowlatshah1, Mohammad Saraji2, Stig Pedersen-Bjergaard3
1Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Seville, c/Prof. García González s/n, Seville 41012, Spain; Department of Chemistry, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran.
This study introduces fully green and biodegradable supported liquid membranes (SLMs) using natural deep eutectic solvents and agarose for microextraction. This eco-friendly approach demonstrates comparable performance to conventional SLMs for sulfonamide analysis in urine.
Area of Science:
- Green chemistry
- Analytical chemistry
- Separation science
Background:
- Supported liquid membranes (SLMs) traditionally use synthetic organic solvents and polymeric supports.
- Liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) is an efficient sample preparation technique.
- There is a growing need for environmentally friendly analytical methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize fully green and biodegradable supported liquid membranes (SLMs).
- To evaluate the performance of these novel SLMs for sulfonamide pharmaceutical analysis.
- To compare the efficiency of green SLMs with conventional SLMs in a microfluidic device.
Main Methods:
- Development of SLMs using natural deep eutectic solvents (coumarin and thymol) and agarose as a biodegradable support membrane.
- Implementation of a microfluidic device for liquid-phase microextraction (LPME).
- Extraction of sulfonamide pharmaceuticals from acidic samples (pH 1.0) to alkaline acceptors (pH 12.0) at a flow rate of 1 μL min⁻¹.
Main Results:
- Successful development of the first fully green and biodegradable SLMs.
- Achieved comparable extraction performance to conventional SLMs for sulfonamide analysis.
- Demonstrated successful application in determining sulfonamides in urine samples with spiking recoveries of 77-100%.
Conclusions:
- Green and biodegradable SLMs based on natural deep eutectic solvents and agarose are viable alternatives to conventional systems.
- Microextraction systems utilizing natural solvents and biodegradable materials hold promise for future sustainable analytical chemistry.
- The developed green microfluidic device offers an effective method for sulfonamide determination in complex matrices like urine.
