Embedded Files
Michelangelo Ficheraa, Lapo Renaia, Federico Sinigagliaa, Giulia Bonaccorsoa, Donatella Fibbib, Luca Rivoirac, Maria Concetta Bruzzonitic, Massimo Del Bubbaa
Michelangelo Ficheraa, Lapo Renaia, Federico Sinigagliaa, Giulia Bonaccorsoa, Donatella Fibbib, Luca Rivoirac, Maria Concetta Bruzzonitic, Massimo Del Bubbaa
aDepartment of Chemistry, University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
bGestione Impianti Depurazione Acque (GIDA) S.p.A., Via di Baciacavallo 36, 59100, Prato, Italy
cDepartment of Chemistry, University of Turin, Via Pietro Giuria 7, Turin, 10125, Italy
aDepartment of Chemistry, University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
bGestione Impianti Depurazione Acque (GIDA) S.p.A., Via di Baciacavallo 36, 59100, Prato, Italy
cDepartment of Chemistry, University of Turin, Via Pietro Giuria 7, Turin, 10125, Italy
The QuEChERS extraction method is widely employed for multi-residue analysis of micropollutants in food matrices [1]. Due to the complexity of these matrices, QuEChERS procedures typically require a clean-up step, which is commonly performed by dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE), using proper sorbent materials (e.g., primary secondary amine and graphitized carbon black). However, these sorbents are often quite expensive, thus impacting on the overall applicability of the procedure. Therefore, a carbonaceous material from pyrolysis of sewage sludge (i.e., a biochar, BC) was developed as an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to commercial d-SPE adsorbents. BC was applied to the clean-up of high-pigmented edible crop extracts (i.e., rocket, tomato, and strawberry) for the determination of various contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), including pharmaceuticals, sunscreen agents, and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) listed in recent European regulations [2].
The use of about 25 mg of BC per mL of extract proved to be effective for reducing absolute matrix effect, |ME|, to less than 27% in the determination of 23 CECs in the aforementioned edible crop matrices. In particular, BC behaved similarly to GCB, the latter being a high cost “noble” material for QuEChERS applications, showing some limitations due to the adsorption of certain CECs. However, it is remarkable that BC enabled pseudo-quantitative recoveries and negligible |ME| for 8 pharmaceuticals, 1 sunscreen agent, and all 8 PFASs studied. Furthermore, the combination of 5 mg or 10 mg of BC with 20 mg of styrene-divinylbenzene enhanced clean-up performance, leading to high recoveries for most CECs, with |ME| well below 30%. This analytical method was successfully applied to the analysis of crop samples obtained under irrigation with treated wastewater, with sensitivities comparable to or lower than the limits set by European regulations, thus achieving interesting environmental information.
Acknowledgements: This research has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Grant Nº 862555) and from MUR and EU-FSE (PhD fellowship PON Research and Innovation 2014–2020 (D.M 1061/2021). The project SECUREFOOD was carried out under the ERA-Net Cofund FOSC (Grant Nº 862555), built upon and supported by the experience from the Joint Programming Initiative on Agriculture, Food Security & Climate change (FACCE-JPI) and the ERA-Net Cofund LEAP-Agri.
Acknowledgements: This research has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Grant Nº 862555) and from MUR and EU-FSE (PhD fellowship PON Research and Innovation 2014–2020 (D.M 1061/2021). The project SECUREFOOD was carried out under the ERA-Net Cofund FOSC (Grant Nº 862555), built upon and supported by the experience from the Joint Programming Initiative on Agriculture, Food Security & Climate change (FACCE-JPI) and the ERA-Net Cofund LEAP-Agri.
Keywords: Green analytical chemistry, multiresidue analysis, liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry
Keywords: Green analytical chemistry, multiresidue analysis, liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry
References
References
Kim L., Lee D. et al., Trends in Environmental Analytical Chemistry, 22 (2019), e00063. DOI: 10.1016/j.teac.2019.e00063
Scordo C.V.A., Checchini L. et al., Journal of Chromatography A, 1621(2020), 461038. DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2020.461038
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse