Ultrasonic time-domain reflectometry as a non-destructive instrumental visualization technique to monitor inorganic fouling and cleaning on reverse osmosis membranes

Fouling is readily acknowledged as one of the most critical problems limiting the wider application of membranes in liquid separation processes. A better understanding of fouling layer formation and its monitoring is needed in order to improve on existing cleaning techniques. The overall objective of this research was to develop a non-destructive, real-time, in situ visualization technique or device for fouling layer monitoring. Ultrasonic time-domain reflectometry (UTDR) was employed as a visualization technique to provide real-time characterization of the fouling layer. The fouling experiment was carried out with 2 g/l calcium carbonate solution. Results confirmed that there is a correspondence between the flux decline behavior and the UTDR response from membranes in reverse osmosis (RO) modules. The ultrasonic technique could effectively detect fouling layer initiation and growth on the membrane in real-time at different axial velocities. In addition to the measurement of fouling, the ultrasonic technique was also successfully employed for monitoring membrane cleaning. The UTDR technique, due to its extremely powerful capabilities and its use in monitoring devices, can be of great significance in the membrane industry.     

Polyamide-imide/polyetherimide dual-layer hollow fiber membranes for pervaporation dehydration of C1–C4 alcohols

To circumvent the common swelling and deteriorated performance of integral asymmetric hollow fiber membranes for pervaporation dehydration, we have developed novel polyamide-imide (PAI)/polyetherimide (PEI) hollow fiber membranes with synergized performance with the aid of dual-layer spinning technology. Dehydration of C1–C4 alcohols has been conducted and the orders of their fluxes and permeances have been analyzed. The hollow fibers spun at 2 cm air gap and annealed at 75 °C exhibit the highest pervaporation performance: separation factors for t-butanol/water and iso-butanol/water binary systems are greater than 50,000 with flux more than 700 g/m² h. A comparison with literature data shows that the newly developed membranes outperform most other polymeric membranes for the dehydration of IPA and butanols. The dual-layer hollow fiber membranes also exhibit good long-term stability up to 200 h. The superior performance can be attributed to (1) the balanced properties of PAI as the selective layer for dehydration pervaporation; (2) the low water uptake and less swelling characteristic of the PEI supporting layer; and (3) the desirable membrane morphology consisting of a fully porous inner layer, a porous interface, and an ultrathin dense-selective outer skin.     

Hollow fiber-based liquid phase microextraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography for the analysis of gabapentin in biological samples

Three-phase hollow fiber microextraction technique combined with high performance liquid chromatography-ultra violet (HPLC-UV) was applied for the extraction and determination of gabapentin in biological fluids. Gabapentin (GBP) was derivatized with 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, as a UV absorbent agent in borate buffer (pH 8.2) before extraction. The derivative product of GBP was extracted from the 8.5 mL of acidic solution (source phase) into an organic phase (dihexyl ether) impregnated in the pores of a hollow fiber and finally back-extracted into 24 μL of the basic solution (pH 9.1) located inside the lumen of the hollow fiber (receiving phase). The extraction took place due to pH gradient between the inside and outside of the hollow fiber membrane. In order to achieve maximum extraction efficiency, different parameters affecting the extraction conditions were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, preconcentration factor of 95 and detection limit (LOD) of 0.2 μg L⁻¹ were obtained. The calibration graph was linear within the range of 0.6-5000 μg L⁻¹. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed method was successfully confirmed by extraction and determination of GBP in human urine and plasma samples in the range of microgram per liter and suitable results were obtained (RSDs < 6.3%).     

Hollow fiber-based liquid phase microextraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography for extraction and determination of some antidepressant drugs in biological fluids

The applicability of hollow fiber-based liquid phase microextraction (HF-LPME) was evaluated for the extraction and preconcentration of three antidepressant drugs (amitriptyline, imipramine and sertraline) prior to their determination by HPLC-UV. The target drugs were extracted from 11.0 mL of aqueous solution with pH 12.0 (source phase) into an organic extracting solvent (n-dodecane) impregnated in the pores of a hollow fiber and finally back extracted into 24 μL of aqueous solution located inside the lumen of the hollow fiber and adjusted to pH 2.1 using 0.1 M of H₃PO₄ (receiving phase). The extraction was performed due to pH gradient between the inside and outside of the hollow fiber membrane. In order to obtain high extraction efficiency, the parameters affecting the HF-LPME including pH of the source and receiving phases, the type of organic phase, ionic strength and volume of the source phase, stirring rate and extraction time were studied and optimized. Under the optimized conditions, enrichment factors up to 300 were achieved and the relative standard deviation (R.S.D.%) of the method was in the range of 2-12%. The calibration curves were obtained in the range of 5-500 μg L⁻¹ with reasonable linearity (R² > 0.998) and the limits of detection (LODs) ranged between 0.5 and 0.7 μg L⁻¹ (based on S/N = 3). Finally, the applicability of the proposed method was evaluated by extraction and determination of the drugs in urine, plasma and tap water samples. The results indicated that hollow fiber microextraction method has excellent clean-up and high-preconcentration factor and can be served as a simple and sensitive method for monitoring of antidepressant drugs in the biological samples.     

Dehydration of tetrafluoropropanol (TFP) by pervaporation via novel PBI/BTDA-TDI/MDI co-polyimide (P84) dual-layer hollow fiber membranes

A novel PBI/P84 co-polyimide dual-layer hollow fiber membrane has been specifically fabricated through the dry-jet wet phase inversion process, for the first time, for the dehydration pervaporation of tetrafluoropropanol (TFP). Polybenzimidazole (PBI) was chosen as the outer selective layer because of its superior hydrophilic nature and excellent solvent-resistance together with robust thermal stability, while P84 co-polyimide was employed as the inner supporting layer because of its good solvent-resistance and thermal stability. The PBI/P84 membrane exhibits superior water selectivity and relatively high permeation flux. At 60 °C, the PBI/P84 dual-layer hollow fiber membrane shows a permeation flux of 332 g/(m² h) and a separation factor of 1990 for a feed solution containing of 85 wt% TFP. The preferential water sorption and the significant diffusivity difference between TFP and water are the main causes of high separation factor. However, an increase in feed temperature will greatly increase the permeation flux but seriously decrease the water selectivity. The activation energy data verify that water can preferentially permeate the PBI membrane due to the strong water affinity of PBI and a much smaller molecular size of water.     

Self-assembly of inner skin hollow fiber polyelectrolyte multilayer membranes by a dynamic negative pressure layer-by-layer technique

In the past studies, electrostatic layer-by-layer (LbL) adsorption of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes has proven to be a promising method for the preparation of polyelectrolyte multilayer membranes (PEMMs). Till now, this method was mainly used to assemble flat sheet and tubular membranes. Since hollow fiber membrane has some advantages such as high-packing density, self-contained mechanical support and hence the consequent economical superiority, this study therefore seeked to assemble inner skin hollow fiber PEMMs by using a dynamic LbL adsorption technique. The assembly process was successfully accomplished by alternatively dynamically filtrating polyacrylic acid (PAA) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) on a hydrolyzed hollow fiber polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membrane under a negative pressure condition. In the case of pervaporation separation of 95 wt.% ethanol–water mixture (50 °C), the membrane obtained with only 4.5 and 6.5 bilayers had separation factor of 245 and 1338 while the permeate fluxes were 290 and 120 g/(m² h), respectively. The pervaporation separation behavior of various alcohol/water mixtures with the alcohols being t-butanol, 2-propanol and ethanol were also investigated. Finally, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy clearly confirms a uniform and defect-free layer formed on the inner surface of hollow fiber support. Since different polyelectrolyte pairs could be used to assemble PEMMs for different uses, it was expected that the dynamic negative pressure LbL adsorption technique could also potentially be used to prepare many types of PEMMs in other fields.     

A new concept of hollow fiber liquid–liquid–liquid microextraction compatible with gas chromatography based on two immiscible organic solvents

A new concept of liquid–liquid–liquid microextraction (LLLME) was introduced based on applying two immiscible organic solvents in lumen and wall pores of hollow fiber (HF). With this methodology, analytes of interest can be extracted from aqueous sample, into a thin layer of organic solvent (dodecane) sustained in the pores of a porous hollow fiber, and further into a μL volume of organic acceptor (acetonitrile or methanol) located inside the lumen of the hollow fiber. Some chlorophenols (CPs) were selected as model compounds for developing and evaluating of the method performance. The analysis was performed by gas chromatography–electron capture detection (GC–ECD) without derivatization. The factors affecting the HF-LLLME of target compounds were investigated and the optimal extraction conditions were established. Under the optimum conditions, preconcentration factors in a range of 208–895 were obtained. The performance of the proposed method was studied in terms of linear dynamic ranges (LDRs from 0.02 to 100 ng mL⁻¹), linearity (R² ≥ 0.995), precision (RSD % ≤ 8.1) and limits of detection (LODs in the range of 0.006–0.2 ng mL⁻¹). In addition to preconcentration, HF-LLLME also served as a technique for sample clean-up.     

Rapid isolation of angiotensin peptides from plasma by electromembrane extraction

The present study has for the first time demonstrated the isolation of peptides from human plasma by electromembrane extraction (EME). Angiotensin 1, angiotensin 2, and angiotensin 3 migrated from 500 μL of diluted plasma, through a thin layer of 1-octanol and 8% di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate immobilized as a supported liquid membrane (SLM) in the pores of a porous hollow fiber, and into a 25 μL aqueous acceptor solution present inside the lumen of the fiber. The driving force for the extraction was a 15 V potential difference applied across the SLM. After only 10 min of EME, the peptides were isolated from diluted plasma (pH 3) with extraction recoveries between 25 and 43%. After optimization, the extraction system was evaluated using spiked plasma samples of angiotensin 2. The evaluation was performed by liquid chromatography electrospray mass spectrometry, showing linearity of angiotensin 2 in the range 2.5–125.0 ng/mL (r² = 0.989), and repeatability (RSD) between 5.6 and 11.6% (n = 6). The results demonstrate the possibility of isolating angiotensin peptides from plasma in only 10 min, using electromembrane extraction. The experimental findings are therefore promising with regard to future peptide extractions.     

Chemical cleaning of oil contaminated polyethylene hollow fiber microfiltration membranes

The primary aim of this paper was to develop a more effective and economical procedure for cleaning polyethylene hollow fiber microfiltration membranes that have been used for removing oil from contaminated seawater. Alkaline cleaning showed higher recovery of operating cycle time but lower permeate flux recovery than acid cleaning. The combination of both alkaline and acid cleaning agents gave the best operating cycle time and flux recoveries (e.g. 96% and 94%, respectively). As the cleaning agent soaking time was reduced, the actual operating cycle time was reduced. However, the ratio of operating time/chemical cleaning time increased as the soaking time was reduced. The soaking time was recommended to be as short as possible (8–10 h) in the design of small capacity plants and 30 h or higher in case of large capacity plants. SEM analysis showed that in case of alkaline cleaning, most of the pores remained covered with a foulant layer, resulting in low flux recovery. The SEM results of acid cleaned membranes showed more complete removal of the foulant layer from the pores resulting in better flux recovery. Surface analysis of membranes cleaned with combined acid/base agents showed the best results. A membrane surface similar to the original one was obtained. The long-term objective is to increase the understanding of membrane fouling phenomena, preventive means and membrane cleaning processes as it applies to the clean-up and desalination of oil contaminated seawater.     

Electromembrane extraction (EME) and HPLC determination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in wastewater samples

In this paper, an electromembrane extraction (EME) combined with a HPLC procedure using diode array (DAD) and fluorescence detection (FLD) has been developed for the determination of six widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): salicylic acid (SAC), ketorolac (KTR), ketoprofen (KTP), naproxen (NAX), diclofenac (DIC) and ibuprofen (IBU). The drugs were extracted from basic aqueous sample solutions, through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) consisting of 1-octanol impregnated in the walls of a S6/2 Accurel^® polypropylene hollow fiber, and into a basic aqueous acceptor solution resent inside the lumen of the hollow fiber with a potential difference of 10 V applied over the SLM. Extractions that were carried out in 10 min using a potential of 10 V from pH 12 NaOH aqueous solutions shown concentration enrichments factors of 28-49 in a pH 12 NaOH aqueous acceptor solution. The proposed method was successfully applied to urban wastewaters. Excellent selectivity was demonstrated as no interfering peaks were detected. The procedure allows very low detection and quantitation limits of 0.0009-9.0 and 0.003-11.1 μg L⁻¹, respectively.     

Non-invasive observation of external and internal deposition during membrane filtration by X-ray microimaging (XMI)

This paper describes the application of phase contrast X-ray microimaging (XMI) for the non-invasive observation of membrane filtration processes. Using a single hollow fibre with lumen feed of an iron hydroxide suspension it is shown that the technique can observe the cake layer inside the fibre and fouling deposition within the pores. This technique has the potential to observe real-time fouling phenomena within a membrane at a higher level of resolution than other non-invasive methods.     

Kinetic electro membrane extraction under stagnant conditions—Fast isolation of drugs from untreated human plasma

Amitriptyline, citalopram, fluoxetine, and fluvoxamine were isolated by electro membrane extraction (EME) from 70 μl of untreated plasma (pH 7.4), through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) of 1-ethyl-2-nitrobenzene immobilized in the pores of a porous polypropylene hollow fiber, and into 30 μl of 10 mM HCOOH as acceptor solution inside the lumen of the hollow fiber. The driving force of the extraction was a 9 V potential sustained over the SLM with a common battery, with the positive electrode placed in the plasma sample and the negative electrode placed in the acceptor solution. Extractions were performed under totally stagnant conditions with a very simple device for 1 min (kinetic regime), and subsequently the acceptor solution was analyzed directly by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Recoveries were 12, 13, 22, and 17% for fluoxetine, amitriptyline, citalopram, and fluvoxamine, respectively. Sample clean-up was comparable to reversed-phase solid-phase extraction (SPE), but EME required substantially less time than SPE. The time advantage of EME was further improved by parallel extraction of three samples (for 1 min) with the same 9 V battery. EME from plasma combined with LC–MS provided limits of quantification (S/N = 10) in the range 0.4–2.3 ng/ml, linearity in the range 1–1000 ng/ml with r²-values of 0.998–0.999, and repeatability in the range 3.2–8.9% RSD in the mid-therapeutic window (100 ng/ml).     

Simultaneous conduction of two- and three-phase hollow-fiber-based liquid-phase microextraction for the determination of aromatic amines in environmental water samples

This paper describes a simultaneously performed two-/three-phase hollow-fiber-based liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME) method for the determination of aromatic amines with a wide range of pK_a (−4.25 to 4.6) and log K_OW (0.9–2.8) values in environmental water samples. Analytes including aniline, 4-nitroaniline, 2,4-dinitroaniline and dicloran were extracted from basic aqueous samples (donor phase, DP) into the microliter volume of organic membrane phase impregnated into the pores of the polypropylene hollow fiber wall, then back extracted into the acidified aqueous solution (acceptor phase, AP) filling in the lumen of the hollow fiber. The mass transfer of the analytes from the donor phase through the organic membrane phase into acceptor phase was driven by both the counter-coupled transport of hydrogen ions and the pH gradient. Afterwards, the hollow fiber was eluted with 50 μL methanol to capture the analytes from both the organic membrane and the acceptor phase. Factors relevant to the enrichment factors (EFs) were investigated. Under the optimized condition (DP: 100 mL of 0.1 M NaOH with 2 M Na₂SO₄; organic phase: di-n-hexyl with 8% trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO); AP: 10 μL of 8 M HCl; extraction time of 80 min), the obtained EFs were 405–2000, dynamic linear ranges were 5–200 μg/L (R > 0.9976), and limits of detection were 0.5–1.5 μg/L. The presence of humic acid (0–25 mg/L dissolved organic carbon) had no significant effect on the extraction efficiency. The proposed procedure worked very well for real environmental water samples with microgram per liter level of analytes, and good spike recoveries (80–103%) were obtained.     

Electro membrane extraction of sodium diclofenac as an acidic compound from wastewater,urine, bovine milk,and plasma samples and quantification by high-performance liquid chromatography

Electro membrane extraction (EME) as a new microextraction method was applied for extraction of sodium diclofenac (SDF) as an acidic compound from wastewater, urine, bovine milk and plasma samples. Under applied potential of 20 V during the extraction, SDF migrated from a 2.1 mL of sample solution (1 mM NaOH), through a supported liquid membrane (SLM), into a 30 μL acceptor solution (10 mM NaOH), exist inside the lumen of the hollow fiber. The negative electrode was placed in the donor solution, and the positive electrode was placed in the acceptor solution. 1-octanol was immobilized in the pores of a porous hollow fiber of polypropylene as SLM. Then the extract was analyzed by means of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV-detection for quantification of SDF. Best results were obtained using a phosphate running electrolyte (10 mM, pH 2.5). The ranges of quantitation for different samples were 8–500 ng mL⁻¹. Intra- and inter-day RSDs were less than 14.5%. Under the optimized conditions, the preconcentration factors were between 31 and 66 and also the limit of detections (LODs) ranged from 2.7 ng mL⁻¹ to 5 ng mL⁻¹ in different samples. This procedure was applied to determine SDF in wastewater, bovine milk, urine and plasma samples (spiked and real samples). Extraction recoveries for different samples were between 44–95% after 5 min of extraction.     

Liquid–liquid–liquid microextraction of degradation products of nerve agents followed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Alkyl alkylphosphonic acids (AAPAs) are important environmental markers of nerve agents. A simple hollow fiber-based liquid–liquid–liquid microextraction (HFLLLME) technique has been developed to enrich the AAPAs from water. AAPAs were extracted from acidified aqueous phase to organic phase present in pores of the hollow fiber, and then back extracted into the alkaline acceptor phase present in the lumen of the hollow fiber. Variables affecting the HFLLLME process were optimized using a Plackett–Burman design and a Doehlert design. Optimal experimental conditions were: organic solvent, 1-octanol; pH of acceptor phase, 14; extraction time, 60 min; pH of donor phase, 1; and NaCl concentration, 10% (w/v). Depending upon the alkyl substituent, lower limits of detection varied from 0.1 to 100 ng mL⁻¹ (S/N ≥ 5). Repeatability of the method was observed with relative standard deviation of 1.49–9.83% (n = 3). After validation, the method was applied to detect AAPAs present in the water sample provided by the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) during the 23rd official proficiency test. The added advantage of this method is that several successive extractions of AAPAs from the same water sample can be performed.     

A review on hollow fiber membrane module towards high separation efficiency: Process modeling in fouling perspective

Hollow fiber microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) membrane processes have been extensively used in water purification and biotechnology. However, complicated filtration hydrodynamics wield a negative influence on fouling mitigation and stability of hollow fiber MF/UF membrane processes. Thus, establishing a mathematical model to understand the membrane processes is essential to guide the optimization of module configurations and to alleviate membrane fouling. Here, we present a comprehensive overview of the hollow fiber MF/UF membrane filtration models developed from different theories. The existing models primarily focus on membrane fouling but rarely on the interactions between the membrane fouling and local filtration hydrodynamics. Therefore, more simplified conceptual models and integrated reduced models need to be built to represent the real filtration behaviors of hollow fiber membranes. Future analyses considering practical requirements including complicated local hydrodynamics and nonuniform membrane properties are suggested to meet the accurate prediction of membrane filtration performance in practical application. This review will inspire the development of high-efficiency hollow fiber membrane modules.     

Hollow fiber-liquid-phase microextraction of fungicides from orange juices

Liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) based on polypropylene hollow fibers was evaluated for the extraction of the post-harvest fungicides thiabendazole (TBZ), carbendazim (CBZ) and imazalil (IMZ) from orange juices. Direct LPME was performed without any sample pretreatment prior to the extraction, using a simple home-built equipment. A volume of 500 μL of 840 mM NaOH was added to 3 mL of orange juice in order to compensate the acidity of the samples and to adjust pH into the alkaline region. Analytes were extracted in their neutral state through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) of 2-octanone into 20 μL of a stagnant aqueous solution of 10 mM HCl inside the lumen of the hollow fiber. Subsequently, the acceptor solution was directly subjected to analysis. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) was used during the optimization of the extraction procedure. Working under the optimized extraction conditions, LPME effectively extracted the analytes from different orange juices, regardless of different pH or solid material (pulp) present in the sample, with recoveries that ranged between 17.0 and 33.7%. The analytical performance of the method was evaluated by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC/MS). This technique provided better sensitivity than CE and permitted the detection below the μg L⁻¹ level. The relative standard deviations of the recoveries (RSDs) ranged between 3.4 and 10.6%, which are acceptable values for a manual microextraction technique without any previous sample treatment, using a home-built equipment and working under non-equilibrium conditions (30 min extraction). Linearity was obtained in the range 0.1–10.0 μg L⁻¹, with r = 0.999 and 0.998 for TBZ and IMZ, respectively. Limits of detection were below 0.1 μg L⁻¹ and are consistent with the maximum residue levels permitted for pesticides in drinking water, which is the most restrictive regulation applicable for these kinds of samples. It has been demonstrated the suitability of three-phase LPME for the extraction of pesticides from citrus juices, suppressing any pretreatment step such as filtration or removal of the solid material from the sample, that may potentially involve a loss of analyte.     

Visualisation and characterisation of biopolymer clusters in a submerged membrane bioreactor

A laboratory wastewater treatment membrane bioreactor (MBR) with a submerged hollow-fibre membrane was used to investigate the major foulants in sludge mixtures. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) with a triple fluorescent staining protocol, i.e., SYTO9 for microbial cells, ConA-TRITC lectin for polysaccharides and NanoOrange for proteins, was utilised to visualise the fouling materials. A pool of biopolymer clusters (BPCs) ranging from 2.5 to 60 μm in size was identified in the liquid phase of the MBR sludge and in the cake sludge on the membrane surface. According to the CLSM examination, BPC are free and independent organic solutes that are different from biomass flocs and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and much larger than soluble microbial products (SMP). Compared to EPS, BPC contain more polysaccharides and proteins and less humic substances. It is believed that BPC are an important foulant that interacts with biomass flocs to form the sludge fouling layer on the membrane. A filtration test observed with the CLSM shows that BPC are apparently formed by the adsorption and affinity clustering of SMP within the sludge deposited on the membrane surface. The cake sludge on the fouled membrane has a much higher BPC content (16.8 mg TOC/g SS) than the MBR bulk sludge (0.4 mg TOC/g SS). It is argued that BPC behave as a glue to facilitate the growth of an impermeable sludge cake on the membrane surface, thus resulting in serious MBR fouling. These CLSM findings provide the first direct evidence of the presence of BPC in MBR and illustrate their essential role in membrane fouling.     

Three-phase solvent bar microextraction and determination of trace amounts of clenbuterol in human urine by liquid chromatography and electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

Three-phase solvent bar microextraction (TPSBME) technique is described for the quantitative determination of trace amounts of clenbuterol (CB) in urine samples using liquid chromatography (LC) and electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (ES-TMS). CB was extracted from a basified urine sample (donor phase) into the organic solvent residing in the pores of a freely moving hollow fiber and then back extracted into an acidic solution (acceptor phase) inside the lumen of the hollow fiber. The ends of the fiber were pressure-sealed. Here, forward and back extraction took place spontaneously. We studied various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency viz. type of organic solvent (octanol, nonanol and dihexyl ether) used for immobilization in the pores of the hollow fiber, i.e. extraction time (10-40 min), stirring speed (0-1000 rpm), effect of sodium chloride (0-25%, w/v) and concentration of the donor (0.25-3 M NaOH) and the acceptor (0.5-5 M formic acid) phases. After extraction, CB was analyzed by injecting the analyte enriched acceptor phase into LC combined with ES-TMS. Enrichment factor (79), repeatability (R.S.D. = 5.1%), correlation coefficient (0.9972, for the range of 0.1-4 ng mL⁻¹), detection limit (7 pg mL⁻¹) were also investigated. The present technique is compared with the reported solid phase microextraction techniques in terms of selectivity, analysis time per extraction, cost of analysis per extraction, and precision. Among all microextraction techniques reported, this technique is the most economical sample preparation/preconcentration technique to our knowledge. The method was applied for the analysis of CB in human urine.     

Determination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in sewage sludge by direct hollow fiber supported liquid membrane extraction and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

In this study, a three-phase hollow fiber liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME) method combined with liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry was developed for direct determination of four non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ketoprofen, naproxen, diclofenac and ibuprofen) in sewage sludge. The drugs were extracted from non-spiked and spiked slurry samples with different amounts of sludge into an organic phase and then back-extracted into an aqueous phase held in the lumen of the hollow fiber. High enrichment factors ranging from 2761 to 3254 in pure water were achieved. In sludge samples, repeatability and inter-day precision were tested with relative standard deviation values between 10–18% and 7–15%, respectively. Average concentrations of 29 ± 9, 138 ± 2, 39 ± 5 and 122 ± 7 ng/g were determined in dried sludge from Källby sewage treatment plant (Sweden) for ketoprofen, naproxen, diclofenac and ibuprofen, respectively.