Tea bag filter paper as a novel protective membrane for micro-solid phase extraction of butachlor in aqueous samples

Abstract

An innovative, cost-effective, simple, and environmental friendly tea bag filter paper protected micro-solid phase extraction (μ-SPE) technique was developed for the first time with the aim to miniaturize and minimize the use of organic solvents for the extraction and determination of butachlor in aqueous samples. The μ-SPE device was produced by packing 3.0 mg of an easily synthesized new sorbent, hydroxyl-functionalized polypyrrole (OH-PPY), inside a small tea bag filter paper sachet (1.0 cm × 0.5 cm) that served as a protective envelope. Both the extraction and desorption procedures were facilitated by sonication. Due to the high porosity and the fast water absorption of the tea bag filter paper, the analyte could easily diffuse through and enhance the interaction with the sorbent. Under the optimized conditions for the GC-ECD and the μ-SPE, the limit of detection (S/N ≥ 3) was 2.0 μg L⁻¹ while the limit of quantitation (S/N ≥ 10) was 10.0 μg L⁻¹. The recoveries of the butachlor spiked at 0.050, 0.10, and 0.50 μg mL⁻¹ ranged from 77.9 ± 3.0 to 112.5 ± 2.9%. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of butachlor in water samples from paddy cultivation sites. The levels found were from non-detectable to 24.71 ± 0.37 μg L⁻¹.

Keywords:

• Hydroxyl-functionalized polypyrrole
• butachlor
• micro-solid phase extraction
• tea bag filter paper

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank Dr. Brian Hodgson for his assistance with the English.

Funding

This research work was supported by the Trace Analysis and Biosensor Research Center (TAB-RC); the Higher Education Research Promotion and National Research University Project of Thailand (NRU), Office of the Higher Commission; the Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry (PERCH-CIC); Department of Chemistry, Faculty of science and Graduate School Prince of Songkhla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand.