Low-cost approach to increase the analysis throughput of bar adsorptive microextraction (BAµE) combined with environmentally-friendly renewable sorbent phase of recycled diatomaceous earth.

In this study, a novel apparatus for bar adsorptive microextraction (BAµE) using a voltage regulator was proposed as an alternative tool to improve the analysis throughput. In addition, recycled diatomaceous earth obtained as a brewery residue was employed as a biosorbent coating for the determination of methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, benzophenone and triclocarban in water samples by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). The use of the extraction devices, comprised of floating adsorptive bars of 7.5mm length, in the extractions with magnetic stirrers linked to a voltage regulator enabled the analysis of multiple samples, simultaneously. The method optimization was carried out by univariate and multivariate analyses. The optimal conditions for the method were sample solution at pH 5, extraction time of 90min and liquid desorption in 100µL of acetonitrile:methanol (50:50, v/v) for 15min. The total sample preparation time was 17.5min per sample for a simultaneous batch of six extractions. The R values for the calibration curves obtained were higher than 0.9985. The limits of detection (LODs) varied from 0.19 to 2μgL and the limits of quantification (LOQs) ranged from 0.63 to 6.9μgL. The method was applied to freshwater samples collected from Peri Lagoon (Florianópolis, SC, Brazil) and the relative recoveries ranged from 63% to 124% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of < 20% (n = 2). The RSD values for the reproducibility of the performance of the magnetic stirrers and inter-device extraction efficiency were lower than 14% (n = 3) and 11% (n = 3), respectively.