Determination of organophosphorus insecticides in natural waters using SPE-disks and SPME followed by GC/FTD and GC/MS

Two methods for the analysis of ten organophosphorus insecticides in natural waters using solid phase extraction disks containing C₁₈ and SDB and solid phase microextraction fibers containing polyacrylate (PA) are developed. Bromophos ethyl, bromophos methyl, dichlofenthion, ethion, fenamiphos, fenitrothion, fenthion, malathion, parathion ethyl and parathion methyl were determined by GC/MS and GC/FTD. The SPE-disks require only 1000 mL of sample and provide a method limit of detection in the range of 0.01–0.07 μg/L and recovery rates from 60.7 to 104.1%. The solid phase microextraction (SPME) technique requires 2–5 mL of water sample and provides a method limit of detection in the range of 0.01 to 0.05 μg/L for all detectors and the recoveries compared to distilled water ranged from 86.2 to 119.7%. The proposed methods were applied to the trace level screening determination of insecticides in river water samples originating from different Greek regions.     

Determination of organophosphorus insecticides in natural waters using SPE-disks and SPME followed by GC/FTD and GC/MS

Two methods for the analysis of ten organophosphorus insecticides in natural waters using solid phase extraction disks containing C18 and SDB and solid phase microextraction fibers containing polyacrylate (PA) are developed. Bromophos ethyl, bromophos methyl, dichlofenthion, ethion, fenamiphos, fenitrothion, fenthion, malathion, parathion ethyl and parathion methyl were determined by GC/MS and GC/FTD. The SPE-disks require only 1000 mL of sample and provide a method limit of detection in the range of 0.01-0.07 microgram/L and recovery rates from 60.7 to 104.1%. The solid phase microextraction (SPME) technique requires 2-5 mL of water sample and provides a method limit of detection in the range of 0.01 to 0.05 microgram/L for all detectors and the recoveries compared to distilled water ranged from 86.2 to 119.7%. The proposed methods were applied to the trace level screening determination of insecticides in river water samples originating from different Greek regions.     

Validation of an SPME method,using PDMS,PA, PDMS-DVB,and CW-DVB SPME fiber coatings,for analysis of organophosphorus insecticides in natural waters

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) has been optimized and applied to the determination of the organophosphorus insecticides diazinon, dichlofenthion, parathion methyl, malathion, fenitrothion, fenthion, parathion ethyl, bromophos methyl, bromophos ethyl, and ethion in natural waters. Four types of SPME fiber coated with different stationary phases (PDMS, PA, PDMS-DVB, and CW-DVB) were used to examine their extraction efficiencies for the compounds tested. Conditions that might affect the SPME procedure, such as extraction time and salt content, were investigated to determine the analytical performance of these fiber coatings for organophosphorus insecticides. The optimized procedure was applied to natural waters - tap, sea, river, and lake water - spiked in the concentration range 0.5 to 50 micro g L(-1) to obtain the analytical characteristics. Recoveries were relatively high - >80% for all types of aqueous sample matrix - and the calibration plots were reproducible and linear (R(2)>0.982) for all analytes with all the fibers tested. The limits of detection ranged from 2 to 90 ng L(-1), depending on the detector and the compound investigated, with relative standard deviations in the range 3-15% at all the concentration levels tested. The SPME partition coefficients (K(f)) of the organophosphorus insecticides were calculated experimentally for all the polymer coatings. The effect of organic matter such as humic acids on extraction efficiency was also studied. The analytical performance of the SPME procedure using all the fibers in the tested natural waters proved effective for the compounds.     

Determination of insecticides in honey by matrix solid-phase dispersion and gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection and mass spectrometric confirmation

A multiresidue method was developed for the determination of 12 organophosphorus insecticides (diazinon, parathion methyl, fenitrothion, pirimiphosmethyl, malathion, fenthion, chlorpyrifos, quinalphos, methidathion, ethion, azinphosmethyl, coumaphos), one carbamate (pirimicarb), and one amidine (amitraz) in unifloral and multifloral honeys. The analytical procedure was based on the matrix solid-phase dispersion of honey on a mixture of Florisil and anhydrous sodium sulfate in small glass columns and subsequent extraction with a low volume of hexane-ethyl acetate (90 + 10, v/v), assisted by sonication. The insecticide residues were determined by capillary chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection and confirmed by mass spectrometry. Average recoveries at the 0.05-0.5 microg/g levels were >80% for organophosphorus insecticides and about 60% for the other insecticides, pirimicarb and amitraz, with relative standard deviations <10%. The detection limit for the different insecticides ranged between 6 and 15 microg/kg. The main advantages of the proposed method are that extraction and cleanup are performed in a single step with a low volume of organic solvent. The method is simple, rapid, and less laborious than conventional methods. Several Spanish honeys were analyzed with the proposed method and no residues of the studied insecticides were found.     

Photodegradation of Selected Organophosphorus Insecticides Under Sunlight in Different Natural Waters and Soils

In this work photodegradation of four organophosphorus insecticides (ethyl-parathion, methyl-parathion, fenitrothion, fenthion) in different natural waters and soils was studied under sunlight. The origin of the waters was from the region of Ioannina (underground, lake, and river water) and from Preveza (sea water) in Northern-West Greece. The soils used had different percentages of organic matter (0.9-3.5%) and their characterization were SCL, CL, and SL respectively. The photodegradation kinetics of these insecticides were followed by GC-FTD. The identification of the photodegradation by-products was made by using GC-MS. The half-lives of the organophosphorus insecticides vary from 0.4 to 35.4 days in natural waters and from 3.4 to 21.3 days in soils. The humic substances and the other components of these environmental matrices seem to influence the degradation kinetics. The use of GC-MS allowed the identification of some important photodegradation by-products such as: fenthion sulfone, fenthion sulfoxide, fenoxon, 4-methylthio-3,5-dimethyl phenol, O , O , O -triethyl phosphorothioate, paraoxon, 4-nitrophenol, aminoparathion.     

Determination of organophosphorus pesticide residues in fruits by gas chromatography with ITD and NPD detection

Summary Several widely used organophosphorus insecticides, diazinon, methyl-parathion, fenitrothion, malathion, fenthion and methidathion were selected for inclusion in this work. A comparative study of the multiresidue determination of these compounds in citrus fruit and grapes has been carried out by gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus and ion trap detection. Samples were spiked with 0.1, 0.5 and 1 mg kg^–1 of each pesticide and blended in a Sorvall homogeniser with ethyl acetate. Column clean-up on Florisil was necessary for citrus peel extracts. The average recoveries varied from 81 to 107% with a relative standard deviation between 0.3 and 9.5% for GC-ITD and from 86 to 104% with a relative standard deviation ranging from 1.4 to 8.0% for GC-NPD. The detection limit of the method was 10 ng g^–1 or less for each organophosphorus insecticide, with both detectors. This method was applied to the analysis of treated lemons and 0.25 mg kg^–1 of fenitrothion in fruit was detected a week after treatment and identified by its mass spectrum. The results obtained showed that the proposed methods are reproducible and sensitive enough for the simultaneous determination of these insecticides in fruits at residue level.     

Synthesis of three haptens for the class-specific immunoassay of O,O-dimethyl organophosphorus pesticides and effect of hapten heterology on immunoassay sensitivity

A general and broad class-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was developed for the O,O-dimethyl organophosphorus pesticides, including malathion, dimethoate, phenthoate, phosmet, methidathion, fenitrothion, methyl parathion and fenthion. Three haptens with different spacer-arms were synthesized. The haptens were conjugated to bovine serum albumin (BSA) for immunogens and to ovalbumin (OVA) for coating antigens. Rabbits were immunized with the immunogens and six polyclonal antisera were produced and screened against each of the coating antigens using competitive indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for selecting the proper antiserum. The effect of hapten heterology on immunoassay sensitivity was also studied. The antibody-antigen combination with the most selectivity for malathion was further optimized and tested for tolerance to co-solvent, pH and ionic strength changes. The IC₅₀ values, under optimum conditions, were estimated to be 30.1 μg L⁻¹for malathion, 28.9 μg L⁻¹ for dimethoate, 88.3 μg L⁻¹ for phenthoate, 159.7 μg L⁻¹ for phosmet, 191.7 μg L⁻¹ for methidathion, 324.0 μg L⁻¹ for fenitrothion, 483.9 μg L⁻¹ for methyl parathion, and 788.9 μg L⁻¹ for fenthion. Recoveries of malathion, dimethoate, phenthoate, phosmet and methidathion from fortified Chinese cabbage samples ranged between 77.1% and 104.7%. This assay can be used in monitoring studies for the multi-residue determination of O,O-dimethyl organophosphorus pesticides.     

Headspace solid-phase microextraction for the gas chromatographic analysis of organophosphorus insecticides in vegetables

Residues of organophosphorus insecticides (diazinon, methyl parathion, fenitrothion, malathion, and parathion) were determined in 13 different vegetable matrixes by headspace solid-phase microextraction performed with a polydimethyl-siloxane fiber (100 microm). Determination was carried out by gas chromatography with a nitrogen-phosphorus detector. Limits of detection and quantification were < 0.005 and 0.017 mg/kg, respectively; thus, the limits of maximum residue levels (MRLs) required by European regulations can be verified without difficulty. Pesticide residues were found in 38% of the 125 fresh commercial samples (imported and domestic) that were analyzed. Residues of methyl parathion and parathion, which were withdrawn in Greece in 2003, were detected in 36.8 and 4% of all samples, respectively. The MRLs were exceeded overall by 1%.     

Optimization of headspace solid-phase microextraction conditions for the determination of organophosphorus insecticides in natural waters

Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) has been developed for the analysis of seven organophosphorus insecticides, i.e. diazinon, fenitrothion, fenthion, ethyl parathion, methyl bromophos, ethyl bromophos and ethion in natural waters. Their determination was carried out using gas chromatography with flame thermionic and mass spectrometric detection. To perform the HS-SPME, two types of fibre have been assayed and compared: polyacrylate (PA 85 microm), and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS 100 microm). The main parameters affecting the HS-SPME process such as temperature, salt additives, memory effect, stirring rate and adsorption-time profile were studied. The method was developed using spiked natural waters such as ground, sea, river and lake water in a concentration range of 0.05-1 microg/l. The HS-SPME conditions were optimized in order to obtain the maximum sensitivity. Detection limits varied from 0.01 to 0.04 microg/l and relative standard deviations (RSD <17%) were obtained showing that the precision of the method is reliable. The method showed also good linearity for the tested concentration range with regression coefficients ranging between 0.985 and 0.999. Recoveries were in relatively high levels for all the analytes and ranged from 80 to 120%. Water samples collected from different stations along the flow of Kalamas river (NW Greece) were analyzed using the optimized conditions in order to evaluate the potential of the proposed method to the trace-level screening determination of organophosphorus insecticides. The analysis with HS-SPME has less background interference and the advantage of its non-destructive nature reveal the possibility of the repetitive use of the SPME fibre.     

Concurrent dyes adsorption and photo-degradation on fly ash based substrates

Most of the dyes are organic compounds, with different degree of polarization and different groups with various steric effects, making their complete biodegradation slow or even impossible. Adsorption on fly ash and fly ash based substrates represents a possible alternative for simultaneous removal of dyes and heavy metals form wastewaters resulted in the textile industry. Adsorption (under visible light) and adsorption and photodegradation (under UV irradiation) studies were done on Methylene blue solutions and on their mixtures with heavy metals (copper and cadmium), in systems using fly ash as single substrate, or mixed with a wide band gap semiconductor (TiO₂). The titanium oxides and hematite content in fly ash proved to be responsible for photodegradation processes even in the absence of the TiO₂ powder, confirming that modified fly ash is a viable candidate in developing up scalable processes for advanced wastewater treatment. The kinetic and thermodynamic studies allow to calculate the parameters and to describe the complex mechanisms, involving competitive adsorption.     

Application of multivariate self-modeling curve resolution to the quantitation of trace levels of organophosphorus pesticides in natural waters from interlaboratory studies

Multivariate self-modeling curve resolution is applied to the quantitation of coeluted organophosphorus pesticides: fenitrothion, azinphos-ethyl, diazinon, fenthion and parathion-ethyl. Analysis of these pesticides at levels of 0.1 to 1 μg/l in the presence of natural interferences is achieved using automated on-line liquid-solid extraction (Prospekt) coupled to liquid chromatography and diode array detection followed by a recently developed multivariate self-modeling curve resolution method. The proposed approach uses only 100 ml of natural water sample and has improved resolution of the coeluted organophosphorus insecticides and their quantitation at trace level. The results have been compared with those obtained by different laboratories participating in the Aquacheck interlaboratory exercise (WRC, Medmenham, UK) where more conventional analytical techniques are being used.     

Adsorption of Copper (II) onto Different Adsorbents

Removal of copper (II) from aqueous solution of CuCl₂·2H₂O by different adsorbents, namely, sissoo sawdust, activated carbon, and fly ash were investigated. Adsorption of copper (II) on sissoo sawdust, activated carbon, and fly ash has been studied using batch techniques. Kinetic and isotherm studies were determined as a function of the solution pH, temperature, contact time, adsorbent dosage, and initial adsorbate concentration. Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich, and Temkin isotherms were used to analyze the equilibrium data at different temperatures. The maximum adsorption capacities for copper (II) on sissoo sawdust, activated carbon, and fly ash adsorbents at 30, 40, and 50°C temperatures were found to be 263.2, 166.6, and 142.8; 125.0, 88.49, and 72.46; 69.93, 181.8, and 111.1 mg/g, respectively. The thermodynamics of copper (II) adsorption on sissoo sawdust, activated carbon, and fly ash indicates its spontaneous and endothermic nature. Kinetic studies showed that the adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model.     

A gas chromatographic determination of residues of eleven insecticides and two metabolites on olive tree leaves

A gas chromatographic (GC) method was developed and statistically validated for the simultaneous determination of residues of pyrethroid, endosulfan, and organophosphorus insecticides and some of their metabolites on olive tree leaves. Pesticide residues were extracted by static extraction with acetone-dichloromethane. After evaporation of the extract to dryness and redissolution in acetone, the organophosphorus insecticides were determined by GC with nitrogen-phosphorus detection. Another portion of the extract, after solvent change to acetonitrile, was cleaned up on an Alumina-N cartridge and analyzed for insecticides sensitive to electron-capture detection (ECD), i.e., pyrethroids and endosulfan and its metabolite. Recoveries of the organophosphorus insecticides ranged from 80.7 to 93.3% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of < or = 7.2%; recoveries of the ECD-sensitive insecticides ranged from 71.6 to 89.5% with RSDs of < or = 11.6%. The method was used to analyze 26 samples of olive tree leaves from organic olive groves all over Greece, and the results confirmed the viability of the method for routine analysis. Residues of fenthion and fenthion sulfoxide were found in one and 3 samples, respectively, and their identities were confirmed by GC with mass spectrometry.     

Parameters affecting microwave-assisted extraction of organophosphorus pesticides from agricultural soil

This work describes an optimised method for the determination of six representative organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) (diazinon, parathion, methyl pirimiphos, methyl parathion, ethoprophos, and fenitrothion) in agricultural soils. The method is based on microwave-assisted extraction using a water-methanol modified mixture for desorption and simultaneous partitioning on n-hexane (MAEP), together with gas chromatography-flame photometric detection (GC-FPD). To improve GC-FPD signals (peak intensity and shape) olive oil was used effectively as a "matrix mimic". The optimisation of the extraction method was achieved in two steps: an initial approach through experimental design and principal component analysis where recovery of compounds using a water-methanol mixture ranged from 54 to 77%, and the second one by studying the addition of KH2PO4 to the extracting solution where recoveries were significantly increased, molecular replacing of OPPs from adsorption sites by phosphate being the probable extraction mechanism. Under optimised conditions, recoveries of pesticides from different soils were higher than 73%, except for methyl parathion in some soils, with SD equal or lower than 11% and detection limits ranging from 0.004 to 0.012 microg g(-1). The proposed method was used to determine OPPs in soil samples from different agricultural zones of Chile.     

Study of Sorption Processes of Selected Pesticides on Soils and Ceramic Porous Cups used For Soil Solution Sampling

Abstract

Soil sorption constants of four organochlorine (lindane, dicofol, chlorfenson and tetradifon) and three organophos-phorus pesticides (dimethoate, fenitrothion and methidathion) were measured using two different soils at six concentrations.

Soil samples were collected at depths of 0-20 cm and around 100 cm from an experimental citrus crop field. Effects of soil properties (organic matter, moisture content, pH and texture) on the sorption processes were also investigated.

Partitioning of pesticides between soil and solution was investigated after batch equilibration, using pesticide concentrations ranging from 10 to 200 μg1^?1. The equilibration time was estimated in 2 h for organochlorine, and 72 h for organophosphorus pesticides. Data fitted to Freundlich types adsorption isotherms.

Analytical determinations were carried out by gas chromatography with ECD and NPD detectors, after liquid-liquid extraction with dichloromethane of the water supernatant.

Moreover, a validation of the use of suction samplers used to collect soil solution samples from the vadose zone, based on a short term study in the laboratory was determined.     

Permethylated β-cyclodextrin/pesticide complexes: X-ray structures and thermogravimetric assessment of kinetic parameters for complex dissociation

The X-ray crystal structures of the inclusion complexes formed between three pesticides (two organophosphorus insecticides and one chloroacetanilide herbicide) and permethylated β-cyclodextrin (TRIMEB) are reported. The complexes TRIMEB–fenitrothion (1), TRIMEB–fenthion (2) and TRIMEB–acetochlor (3) are members of a commonly occurring isostructural series. The mode of inclusion of the two organophosphate insecticides is very similar, while the acetochlor molecule, which is structurally quite distinct from the two insecticide molecules, adopts a somewhat different position within the TRIMEB cavity. In addition to the structural elucidation of these complexes, their thermal behaviour was investigated using isothermal and non-isothermal thermogravimetry. The isothermal results showed that the dissociation of the guest molecules from the TRIMEB cavities can best be described by two mechanisms, namely a first-order reaction model and a three-dimensional diffusion model. Both the isothermal and non-isothermal methods allowed the determination of the activation energies of the guest loss process for each complex.     

Reactivity of fly ash in cement paste studied by means of thermogravimetry and isothermal calorimetry

Four paste mixtures with varying replacement level of the cement content by fly ash have been studied. Due to fly ash, the acceleration period decreased and a third hydration peak was noticed with isothermal calorimetry. The total heat after 7 days increased with increasing fly ash content. From 1 to 7 days, thermogravimetry showed a higher chemically bound water and Ca(OH)₂-content for the pastes with fly ash. Between 7 and 14 days the calcium hydroxide started to be depleted due to the pozzolanic reaction. A unique relation was found between calcium hydroxide and total heat development.     

Adsorption of diazinon and fenitothion on MCM-41 and MCM-48 mesoporous silicas from non-polar solvent

The adsorption of two common organophosphorus pesticides, diethoxy-[(2-isopropyl-6-methyl-4-pyrimidinyl)oxy]-thioxophosphorane (diazinon) and dimethoxy-(3-methyl-4-nitrophenoxy)-thioxophosphorane (fenitrothion), by MCM-41 and MCM-48 mesoporous silicas at room temperature was investigated. UVvis and IR spectroscopy, small-angle X-ray diffraction, and the specific surface area analysis (S _BET) were used to study the adsorption behavior of diazinon and fenitrothion. The results show that the MCM-41 and MCM-48 mesoporous silicas adsorb diazinon more efficiently than fenitrothion. The extraction of adsorbed materials from the adsorbents with polar solvents and subsequent analysis by ³¹P NMR showed that the adsorption of diazinon and fenitrothion on mesoporous silicas is destructive and non-destructive, respectively. Nitrogen adsorption measurements showed that the specific surface area of both silicas decreases after the adsorption of pesticides, and the larger effect is observed for diazinon. The article is published in the original.     

Detection of organophosphate pesticides in human body fluids by headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and capillary gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection

Summary Organosphosphate pesticides have been found extractable by headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME), and the best conditions of their extraction from human whole blood and urine samples have been investigated. The body fluid samples containing nine pesticides (IBP, methyl parathion, fenitrothion, malathion, fenthion, isoxathion, ethion, EPN and phosalone) were heated at 100°C in a septum-capped vial in the presence of various combinations of acid and salts, and SPME fiber was exposed to the headspace of the vial to allow adsorption of the pesticides before capillary gas chromatography (GC) with nitrogen-phosphorus detection. The heating with distilled water/HCl/(NH₄)₂SO₄/NaCl and with distilled water/HCl gave the best results for urine and whole blood, respectively. Recoveries of the nine pesticides were 0.8–10.6% except for phosalone (0.03%) for whole blood, and 3.8–40.2% for urine. The calibration curves for the pesticides showed linearity in the range of 50–400 ng/0.5 mL for whole blood except for malathion (100–400 ng/0.5 mL whole blood) and 7.5–120 ng/0.5 mL for urine except for phosalone (15–120 ng/0.5 mL urine) with detection limits of 2.2–40 ng/0.5 mL for whole blood and 0.8–12 ng/0.5 mL for urine.     

Fly ash based zeolite analogues: versatile materials for energy and environment conservation

Fly ash is combustion residue from burning of pulverised coal in electric utility generating stations. The annual production of fly ash in India is around 100 MTPA and is responsible for several environmental hazards, which is quite well documented. There are stringent norms for its land disposal and hence utilisation of fly ash is imperative. Fly ash has more than 85% of SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ content and is therefore a tailor made raw material for production of zeolite. An innovative process has been developed for synthesis of zeolites using fly ash as a substitute for conventional raw materials viz. sodium silicate and aluminate. The process consists of three major steps viz. fusion of caustic soda and fly ash for optimal extraction of silicate and aluminate, aging step which provides time for formation of nuclei and hydrothermal crystallization resulting in activation of nuclei into well defined crystals. Low temperature operation, simplicity of process and optimal recycling of unused reactants and process water are special features of these processes. Zeolites have high internal and external surface areas and also exhibit high exchange capacities, which makes them versatile materials for targeting wide range of pollutants, ranging from cationic to anionic and hydrophilic to hydrophobic molecules. The major uses of zeolites are in adsorption, ion exchange and as catalysts. The use of zeolites in environmental remediation is restricted due to procurement problem and prohibitive cost, which can be overcome by using low cost fly ash based zeolites (FAZs). The synthesis of FAZ-A and FAZ-Y and their modifications either by transition metal incorporation or by surfactant treatment for various environmental applications in air, water and soil remediation are addressed in this review.