Carbonized silk fibers for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction to detect polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples

Silk fibers were carbonized to develop a biomass carbon material as an adsorbent for solid‐phase microextraction. The surface structure of the carbonized silk fibers was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, and the graphitization degree was determined by Raman spectrometry. After carbonization under high temperature, the orderliness and structural regularity of carbon atoms on silk fibers were promoted. Extraction tube packed with carbonized silk fibers was prepared for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction. Coupled with high performance liquid chromatography, it exhibited good extraction performance for hydrophobic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Main parameters including sampling volume, sampling rate, methanol content in sample, and desorption time were systematically investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the analysis method was established and it exhibited wide linear range (0.016–20 μg/L) with good linearity (correlation coefficient ≥ 0.9947), low limits of detection (0.005–0.050 μg/L), and high enrichment factors (1189–2775). Relative standard deviations (n = 3) for intraday (≤3.3%) and interday (≤9.6%) tests indicated that the extraction material had satisfactory repeatability. Finally, the analytical method was successfully applied to detect trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in real water samples, demonstrating its satisfactory practicability.     

A green extraction material — natural cotton fiber for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction

Natural cotton fiber was applied as a green extraction material for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction. Cotton fibers were characterized by scanning electron microscope. A bundle of cotton fibers (685 mg, 20 cm) was directly packed into a polyetheretherketone tube (i.d. 0.75 mm) to get the extraction device. It was connected into high performance liquid chromatography, building an online extraction and dectection system. Through the online analysis system, several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were used as the targets to evaluate the extraction performace of the device. In order to get high extraction efficiency and sensitivity, the extraction and desorption conditions were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the sensitive analysis method was established, and provided low limits of detection of 0.02 and 0.05 μg/L, good linearity ranges of 0.06–15 and 0.16–15 μg/L, as well as high enrichment factors of 176–1868. The method was applied to the online determination of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in snow water and river water, and the relative recoveries corresponding to 2 and 5 μg/L were in the range of 80–116%. The repeatability of extraction and preparation of the device was investigated and the relative standard deviations (n = 3) were less than 3.6 and 5.2%.     

Basalt fibers functionalized with gold nanoparticles for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction

Basalt fibers were functionalized with gold nanoparticles and characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. An in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction device was developed by packing the functionalized basalt fibers in a polyether ether ketone tube. The device was connected into high performance liquid chromatography equipment with a diode array detector to build online enrichment and analysis system. Eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were used as model analytes, important factors including sampling rate, sampling volume, organic solvent content in sample, and desorption time were investigated. Linear range (0.01–20 μg/L), detection limits (0.003–0.015 μg/L), and enrichment factors (130–1628) were given by the online analysis method. Relative standard deviations (n = 5) of extraction repeatability on one tube and tube‐to‐tube repeatability were less than 5.2 and 14.7%, respectively. The analysis method was applied to detect polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental water samples, and relative recoveries ranged from 87 to 128%.     

Nanostructured‐silver‐coated polyetheretherketone tube for online in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography

Polyetheretherketone tube is a better substrate for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction than fused‐silica capillary and metal tube because of its resistance to high pressure and good flexibility. It was modified with a nanostructured silver coating, and characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. It was connected into high‐performance liquid chromatography equipment to build the online analysis system by replacing the sample loop of a six‐port injection valve. To get the highest extraction capacity, the preparation conditions of the coating was investigated. Important extraction conditions including length of tube, sample volume, and desorption time were optimized using eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as model analytes. The tube exhibits excellent extraction efficiency toward them, with enrichment factors from 52 to 363. The online analysis method provides good linearity (0.5–100 or 1.0–100 μg/L) and low detection limits (0.15–0.30 μg/L). It has been used to determine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples, with relative recoveries in the range of 92.3–120%. The tube showed highest extraction ability for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, higher extraction ability for hydrophobic phthalates and anilines, and almost no extraction ability for low hydrophobic phenols, due to the possible extraction mechanism including hydrophobic and electron‐rich element‐metal interactions.     

Polydopamine‐coated cotton fibers as the adsorbent for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction

Polydopamine was coated onto cotton fibers as the adsorbent to improve the extraction efficiency. Polydopamine‐coated cotton fibers were placed into a polyetheretherketone tube for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction. To develop an online analysis system, the extraction tube was connected with high‐performance liquid chromatography. The tube was evaluated with five estrogenic analytes, and the extraction and desorption conditions were optimized to get high extraction efficiency. Under the optimum conditions, the enrichment factors of five analytes were 143–1745. An online analysis method was established, it had large linear ranges (0.10–40 and 0.16–40 μg/L), low limits of detection (0.03, 0.05 μg/L) and satisfactory repeatability (≤3.2%). The analysis method was applied to detect targets in the real samples like as hot water in new plastic cup and tap water. The relative recoveries spiked at 1 and 5 μg/L in these samples were investigated and the results were in the range of 83.7–109%.     

Mesoporous titanium oxide with high‐specific surface area as a coating for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Stainless‐steel wires coated with mesoporous titanium oxide were placed into a polyether ether ketone tube for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction, and the coating sorbent was characterized by X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. It was combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography to build an online system. Using eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as the analytes, some conditions including sample flow rate, sample volume, organic solvent content, and desorption time were investigated. Under optimum conditions, an online analysis method was established and provided good linearity (0.03–30 μg/L), low detection limits (0.01–0.10 μg/L), and high enrichment factors (77.6–678). The method was applied to determine target analytes in river water and water sample of coal ash, and the recoveries are in the range of 80.6–106.6 and 80.9–103.5%, respectively. Compared with estrogens and plasticizers, extraction coating shows better extraction efficiency for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.     

Nano‐MoO3 for highly selective enrichment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction

Nano‐molybdenum trioxide was prepared from nano‐molybdenum disulfide by simple firing in muffle furnace. Nano‐molybdenum trioxide was used as the extraction coating on the stainless steel wire. Four wires were filled in a polyetheretherketone tube to get an extraction tube. The tube was connected to the six‐port valve of a high performance liquid chromatograph, and the online analysis system was constructed. Extraction selectivity of the tube for different types of compounds, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, plasticizers, estrogens, anilines and neonicotinoids, was studied. Good enrichment ability for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, but the extraction efficiency of others was not satisfactory. Using eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as the targets, an analytical method was established after optimizing main factors such as sampling volume, sampling rate, methanol content, and desorption time. The established method exhibited wide linear range to 0.016–20.00 μg/L and low limits of detection to 0.005 μg/L, and the enrichment factors can be up to 2443. The method was applied to the detection of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tap water and river water, and a good recovery was obtained. The tube showed good durability and chemical stability, and it still remained good extraction effect after more than 140 run.     

Ionic liquid chemically bonded basalt fibers for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction

Ionic liquids have been widely used in different fields by advantage of their specific properties. In this work, 1‐methyl‐3‐(3‐trimethoxysilyl propyl)imidazolium chloride was prepared and chemically bonded onto basalt fibers for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction. Through combining in‐tube extraction device with high‐performance liquid chromatography equipped with a diode array detector, an online enrichment and analysis method for eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was established under the optimum conditions. A good enrichment factor (52–814), good linearity (0.10–15 and 0.20–15 μg/L), low limits of detection (0.03–0.05 μg/L), and low limits of quantitation (0.10–0.20 μg/L) were achieved using a sample volume of 50 mL. Analysis method was applied to the real samples including the groundwater and wastewater from a chemical industry park, some target analytes were detected and the relative recoveries were in the range of 80.4–116.8%.     

Basalt fibers grafted with a poly(ionic liquids) coating for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction

To improve the durability and extraction efficiency of an ionic liquid coating, 1‐dodecyl‐3‐vinylimidazolium bromide was polymerized and grafted onto basalt fibers for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction. To develop an extraction tube, basalt fibers grafted with the poly(ionic liquids) coating were filled into a polyether ether ketone tube with a 0.75 mm inner diameter. The extraction tube was connected to high‐performance liquid chromatography system equipped with a sampling pump to build an online enrichment and analysis system. Using four common phthalates as model analytes, the extraction tube was investigated by the online analysis system. Good enrichment performance was exhibited by high enrichment factors ranging from 851 to 1858. Under the optimum conditions, an online analysis method was established, and good linearity (0.03–12 and 0.15–12 μg/L) and low limits of detection (0.01–0.05 μg/L) were achieved. This analysis method was applied to real samples including water in a disposable plastic box and the bottled water, some targets were detected but not quantified, and the relative recoveries spiked at 2, 5 and 10 μg/L were in the range of 86.4–119.5%.     

Coupling of homogeneous liquid–liquid extraction and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for the extraction and preconcentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from aqueous samples followed by GC with flame ionization detection

In the present study, a simple and rapid method for the extraction and preconcentration of some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples has been developed. In this method, two sample preparation methods were combined to obtain high extraction recoveries and enrichment factors for sensitive analysis of the selected analytes. In the first stage of the method, a homogeneous solution containing an aqueous solution and cyclohexyl amine is broken by the addition of a salt. After centrifugation, the upper collected phase containing the extracted analytes is subjected to the following dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method. Rapid injection of the mixture of cyclohexyl amine resulted from the first stage and 1,1,2‐trichloroethane (as an extraction solvent) into an acetic acid solution is led to form a cloudy solution. After centrifuging, the fine droplets of the extraction solvent are settled down in the bottom of the test tube, and an aliquot of it is analyzed by gas chromatography. Under the optimum extraction conditions, enrichment factors and limits of detection for the studied analytes were obtained in the ranges of 616–752 and 0.08–0.20 μg/L, respectively. The simplicity, high extraction efficiency, short sample preparation time, low cost, and safety demonstrated the efficiency of this method relative to other approaches.     

Triazine‐based organic polymers@SiO2 nanospheres for sensitive solid‐phase microextraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Triazine‐based organic polymers@SiO₂ nanospheres were prepared and applied as an extraction coating onto stainless steel wires and the wires were filled into polyetheretherketone tube for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction. Taking polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as targets, main factors affecting extraction performance of the tube were investigated through coupling to high performance liquid chromatography. Under the optimum conditions, an online analytical method for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was established with large linear ranges (0.010‐20 µg/L), low limits of detection (0.003‐0.010 µg/L), high enrichment factors (533‐2954), and good repeatability (relative standard deviations <1.7% for intraday test, <5.0% for interday test). The analysis method was successfully applied to the detection of trace targets in real water samples and the relative recoveries ranged from 82.9 to 119.9%, which demonstrated the applicability of extraction tube in sample preparation.     

Magnetic metal–organic framework MIL‐100(Fe) microspheres for the magnetic solid‐phase extraction of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from water samples

In this work, a magnetic metal–organic framework designated as MIL‐100(Fe) was prepared and applied as a magnetic solid‐phase extraction sorbent for the determination of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental water samples by coupling with high‐performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection. The magnetic microspheres exhibited large surface areas and high extraction ability, making them excellent candidates as sorbents for enrichment of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Under the optimized experimental conditions, good sensitivity levels were achieved with low detection limits ranging from 32 to 2110 pg/mL and good linearities with correlation coefficients higher than 0.9990 for the investigated 13 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The proposed method has been validated in the analysis of real water samples with mean recoveries in the range of 81.4–126.9% at four spiked levels and the relative standard deviations in the range of 1.3–17.0%. The magnetic MIL‐100(Fe) microspheres were stable enough for 150 extractions without a significant loss of extraction performance.     

Polytetrafluoroethylene‐jacketed stirrer modified with graphene oxide and polydopamine for the efficient extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Steel stirrers jacketed with polytetrafluoroethylene can be regarded as an ideal substrate for stirrer bar sorptive extraction. However, it is still a great challenge to immobilize graphene onto a polytetrafluoroethylene stirrer due to the high chemical resistance of the surface of a polytetrafluoroethylene stirrer. We describe here a method to modify the surface of polytetrafluoroethylene stirrers with graphene. In this work, graphene was used as the sorbent due to its excellent adsorption capability for aromatic compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic compounds. Graphene was successfully immobilized onto polytetrafluoroethylene‐stirrer by a bio‐inspired polydopamine functionalization method. The graphene‐modified polytetrafluoroethylene‐stirrer shows good stability and tolerance to stirring, ultrasonication, strong acidic and basic solutions, and to organic solvents. The multilayer coating was characterized by scanning electronic microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. After the optimization of some experimental conditions, the graphene‐modified polytetrafluoroethylene stirrer was used for the stirrer bar sorptive extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, in which the binding between the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the graphene layer was mainly based on π–π stacking and hydrophobic interactions. The graphene‐modified polytetrafluoroethylene‐stirrer‐based stirrer bar sorptive extraction and high‐performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with great extraction efficiency, with enrichment factors from 18 to 62. The method has low limits of detection of 1–5 pg/mL, wide linear range (5–100 and 10–200 pg/mL), good linearity (R ≥ 0.9957) and good reproducibility (RSD ≤ 6.45%). The proposed method has been applied to determine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in real dust samples. Good recoveries were obtained, ranging from 88.53 to 109.43%.     

Mesoporous silica hybridized by ordered mesoporous carbon for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction

To enhance the extraction performance, a mesoporous silica was modified with ordered mesoporous carbon for solid‐phase microextraction. Three stainless‐steel wires coated with the mesoporous material were placed in a polyetheretherketone tube for getting an extraction tube. The tube was coupled to high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector, and the online analysis system was constructed. Then its extraction performance was evaluated using hydrophobic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalates, and hydrophilic neonicotinoids. The best selectivity was presented for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Several main conditions were optimized such as sampling volume, sampling rate, methanol concentration in the sample, and desorption time, a rapid and sensitive analytical method was established toward polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The analytical method exhibited wide linear range from 0.017 to 15 µg/L with acceptable correlation coefficients more than 0.9990, limits of detection in 0.005‐0.020 µg/L, limits of quantification ranging from 0.017 to 0.066 µg/L as well as large enrichment factors of 377‐2314. It was successfully applied to detect trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in some real water samples including tap water, snow water, and domestic sewage.     

Extraction and enrichment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by ordered mesoporous carbon reinforced hollow fiber liquid‐phase microextraction

A novel microextraction method, ordered mesoporous carbon reinforced hollow fiber liquid‐phase microextraction coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection, was developed for the determination of some organic pollutants in water samples. Four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (fluorene, anthracene, fluoranthene, and pyrene) were selected to validate this new method. Main parameters that could influence the extraction efficiency such as extraction time, fiber length, stirring rate, the type of the extraction solvent, pH value, the concentration of ordered mesoporous carbon, and salt effect were optimized. Under the optimal extraction conditions, good linearity was observed in the range of 2–1000 ng/L, with the correlation coefficients of 0.9954–0.9986. The recoveries for the spiked samples were in the range of 88.96–100.17%. The limits of detection of the method were 0.4–4 ng/L. The relative standard deviations varied from 4.2–5.9%. The results demonstrated that the newly developed method was an efficient pretreatment and enrichment procedure for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental water samples.     

An in‐needle solid‐phase microextraction device packed with etched steel wires for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons enrichment in water samples

A novel, low‐cost and effective in‐needle solid‐phase microextraction device was developed for the enrichment of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples. The in‐needle solid‐phase microextraction device could be easily assembled by inserting hydrofluoric acid‐etched wires, which were used as adsorbent, into a 22‐gauge needle tube within spring supporters. Compared with the commercial solid‐phase microextraction fiber, the developed device has higher efficiency for the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with four to six rings from water samples using the optimized extraction conditions. With gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector, the limits of detection for the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with four to six rings ranged from 0.0020 to 0.0067 ng/mL. The relative standard deviations for one needle and needle‐to‐needle extractions were in the range of 5.2–9.9% (n = 5) and 3.4–12.3% (n = 5), respectively. The spiked recoveries of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tap water samples ranged from 73.2 to 95.4%. This in‐needle solid‐phase microextraction device could be a good field sampler because of the low sample loss over a long storage time.     

Optimization and determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in biochar‐based fertilizers

The agronomic benefit of biochar has attracted widespread attention to biochar‐based fertilizers. However, the inevitable presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in biochar is a matter of concern because of the health and ecological risks of these compounds. The strong adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to biochar complicates their analysis and extraction from biochar‐based fertilizers. In this study, we optimized and validated a method for determining the 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in biochar‐based fertilizers. Results showed that accelerated solvent extraction exhibited high extraction efficiency. Based on a Box–Behnken design with a triplicate central point, accelerated solvent extraction was used under the following optimal operational conditions: extraction temperature of 78°C, extraction time of 17 min, and two static cycles. The optimized method was validated by assessing the linearity of analysis, limit of detection, limit of quantification, recovery, and application to real samples. The results showed that the 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exhibited good linearity, with a correlation coefficient of 0.996. The limits of detection varied between 0.001 (phenanthrene) and 0.021 mg/g (benzo[ghi]perylene), and the limits of quantification varied between 0.004 (phenanthrene) and 0.069 mg/g (benzo[ghi]perylene). The relative recoveries of the 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were 70.26–102.99%.     

Development of a dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method using a lighter‐than‐water ionic liquid for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water

A dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method using a lighter‐than‐water phosphonium‐based ionic liquid for the extraction of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from water samples has been developed. The extracted compounds were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to fluorescence/diode array detectors. The effects of several experimental parameters on the extraction efficiency, such as type and volume of ionic liquid and disperser solvent, type and concentration of salt in the aqueous phase and extraction time, were investigated and optimized. Three phosphonium‐based ionic liquids were assayed, obtaining larger extraction efficiencies when trihexyl‐(tetradecyl)phosphonium bromide was used. The optimized methodology requires a few microliters of a lighter‐than‐water phosphonium‐based ionic liquid, which allows an easy separation of the extraction solvent phase. The obtained limits of detection were between 0.02 and 0.56 μg/L, enrichment factors between 109 and 228, recoveries between 60 and 108%, trueness between 0.4 and 9.9% and reproducibility values between 3 and 12% were obtained. These figures of merit combined with the simplicity, rapidity and low cost of the analytical methodology indicate that this is a viable and convenient alternative to the methods reported in the literature. The developed method was used to analyze polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in river water samples.     

Optimization of solid‐phase microextraction using Taguchi design to quantify trace level polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water

This article introduces a simple, rapid, and reliable solid‐phase microextraction (SPME) method coupled with GC‐MS for the quantitative determination of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water. In this study, the Taguchi experimental design was used to optimize extraction conditions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using SPME method to obtain highly enriched analytes. Consequently, quantitative determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water was achieved by GC‐MS technique. The selected parameters affecting enrichment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were sample extraction time, stirring speed, temperature, ionic strength, and pH. The study revealed that optimal operating conditions were found to be 90‐min extraction time, 1400 rpm stirring speed, and 60°C sample temperature. The effect of ionic strength and pH were shown to be insignificant. Optimized conditions were also reevaluated by placing the 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons into several subgroups based on their molecular weight. The extraction efficiency of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with low molecular weight was shown to be a function of only the extracting temperature. Satisfactory results were obtained for linearity (0.983–0.999), detection limits (2.67–18.02 ng/L), accuracy (71.2–99.3%), and precision (4.3–13.5%). The optimum conditions reported by other design approaches were evaluated and generalized optimum conditions were suggested.     

Ultrasonication extraction coupled with magnetic solid-phase clean-up for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils by high-performance liquid chromatography

C18-functionalized magnetic microspheres synthesized in a three-stage system and characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and SEM were applied for clean-up and enrichment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil samples combined with ultrasonication extraction. Magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) parameters, such as elution solvents, amounts of sorbents, enrichment time and organic modifier, were optimized together with ultrasonication time and extraction solvents. Under the optimal conditions, the developed method provided spiked recoveries of 63.2-92.8% with RSDs of less than 6.4% and limits of detection were 0.5-1.0 ng/g. This new method provides several advantages, such as high extraction efficiency, convenient extraction procedure and short analysis times. Finally, the method was successfully applied to the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil samples.