Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An environmentally friendly method for the determination of triazine herbicides in estuarine seawater samples by dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A fast, simple, sensitive and green chemistry method using dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) for the simultaneous determination of seven triazine herbicides (ametryn, atrazine, cyanazine, propazine, simazine, simetryn and terbuthylazine) in estuarine seawater samples has been developed. DLLME was carried out using a small volume of seawater (25 mL) and 300 μL of 1-octanol. Herbicide concentrations were determined by liquid chromatography-diode array detection, and results were confirmed by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation tandem spectrometry analysis. The analytical features of the proposed method were satisfactory with repeatability < ±5 % and intermediate precision < ±10 %, and recoveries ranged from 81–102 % for all compounds. All the triazines exhibited linear matrix calibration curves with coefficients of determination >0.999 for all the analytes except for simazine (0.9975). Limits of quantification ranged between 0.19 and 1.12 μg L−1. The method was applied to the analysis of seawater samples from ten points susceptible to contamination by triazines from estuary of A Coruña (Galicia, NW of Spain). The levels of the seven triazines were below the LODs in the analysed samples. Use of proposed method will allow for monitoring of triazines at levels below the regulatory limits set by the European Directive 2008/105/EC of 2 and 4 μg L−1 for atrazine and simazine, respectively.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anastas P, Eghbali N (2010) Green chemistry: principles and practice. Chem Soc Rev 39:301–312

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bagheri H, Khalilian F, Naderi M, Babanezhad E (2010) Membrane protected conductive polymer as micro-SPE device for the determination of triazine herbicides in aquatic media. J Sep Sci 33:1132–1138

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bagheri H, Alipour N, Ayazi Z (2012) Multiresidue determination of pesticides from aquatic media using polyaniline nanowires network as highly efficient sorbent for microextraction in packed syringe. Anal Chim Acta 740:43–49

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beale DJ, Kaserzon SL, Porter NA, Roddick FA, Carpenter PD (2010) Detection of s-triazine pesticides in natural waters by modified large-volume direct injection HPLC. Talanta 82:668–674

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Council of the European Communities (2000) Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for community action in the field of water policy. Off J Eur Union L 327:1–73

    Google Scholar 

  • Council of the European Communities (2001) Decision 2455/2001/EC implementing Council Directive 2000/60/EC establishing the list of priority substances in the field of water. Off J Eur Union L 331:1–5

    Google Scholar 

  • Council of the European Communities (2008a) Directive 2008/105/EC concerning the quality of surface water. Off J Eur Union L 348:84–97

    Google Scholar 

  • Council of the European Communities (2008b) Directive 2008/56/EC establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy. Off J Eur Union L 164:19–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Djozan D, Ebrahimi B, Mahkam M, Farajzadeh MA (2010) Evaluation of a new method for chemical coating of aluminum wire with molecularly imprinted polymer layer. Application for the fabrication of triazines selective solid-phase microextraction fiber. Anal Chim Acta 674:40–48

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dujakovic N, Grujic S, Radisic M, Vasiljevic T, Lausevic M (2010) Determination of pesticides in surface and ground waters by liquid chromatography-electrospray-tandem mass spectrometry. Anal Chim Acta 678:63–72

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Environmental Protection Agency of United States (2009) Final list of initial pesticide active ingredients and pesticide inert ingredients to be screened under the Federal food, drug and cosmetic act. Fed Regist 74:17579–17585

    Google Scholar 

  • García-Galán MJ, Díaz-Cruz MS, Barceló D (2010) Determination of triazines and their metabolites in environmental samples using molecularly imprinted polymer extraction, pressurized liquid extraction and LC-tandem mass spectrometry. J Hydrol 383:30–38

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu YL, Liu RJ, Zhang Y, Li GK (2009a) Improvement of extraction capability of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer beads in aqueous media via dual-phase solvent system. Talanta 79:576–582

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hu YL, Wang YY, Hu YF, Li GK (2009b) Liquid–liquid–solid microextraction based on membrane-protected molecularly imprinted polymer fiber for trace analysis of triazines in complex aqueous samples. J Chromatogr A 1216:8304–8311

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Katsumata H, Kojima H, Kaneco S, Suzuki T, Ohta K (2010) Preconcentration of atrazine and simazine with multiwalled carbon nanotubes as solid-phase extraction disk. Microchem J 96:348–351

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kueseng P, Noir ML, Mattiasson B, Thavarungkul P, Kanatharana P (2009) Molecularly imprinted polymer for analysis of trace atrazine herbicide in water. J Environ Sci Health Part B 44:772–780

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lissalde S, Mazzella N, Fauvelle V, Delmas F, Mazellier P, Legube B (2011) Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry method for thirty-three pesticides in natural water and comparison of performance between classical solid phase extraction and passive sampling approaches. J Chromatogr A 1218:1492–1502

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Matamoros V, Jover E, Bayona JM (2010) Part-per-trillion determination of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and related organic contaminants in river water by solid-phase extraction Followed by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Anal Chem 82:699–706

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mazzella N, Delmas F, Delest B, Mechin B, Madigou C, Allenou JP, Gabellec R, Caquet T (2009) Investigation of the matrix effects on a HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method and application for monitoring triazine, phenylurea and chloroacetanilide concentrations in fresh and estuarine waters. J Environ Monitor 11:108–115

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mohammadi A, Ameli A, Alizadeh N (2009) Headspace solid-phase microextraction using a dodecylsulfate-doped polypyrrole film coupled to ion mobility spectrometry for the simultaneous determination of atrazine and ametryn in soil and water samples. Talanta 78:1107–1114

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nagaraju D, Huang S-D (2007) Determination of triazine herbicides in aqueous samples by dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction with gas chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr A 1161:89–97

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Navarro A, Tauler R, Lacorte S, Barcelo D (2010) Occurrence and transport of pesticides and alkylphenols in water samples along the Ebro River Basin. J Hydrol 383:18–29

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Portoles T, Pitarch E, Lopez FJ, Hernandez F (2011) Development and validation of a rapid and wide-scope qualitative screening method for detection and identification of organic pollutants in natural water and wastewater by gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr A 1218:303–315

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Postigo C, de Alda MJL, Barcelo D, Ginebreda A, Garrido T, Fraile J (2010) Analysis and occurrence of selected medium to highly polar pesticides in groundwater of Catalonia (NE Spain): an approach based on on-line solid phase extraction-liquid chromatography-electrospray-tandem mass spectrometry detection. J Hydrol 383:83–92

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rezaee M, Assadi Y, Hosseini M-RM, Aghaee E, Ahmadi F, Berijani S (2006) Determination of organic compounds in water using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction. J Chromatogr A 1116:1–9

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rodríguez-González N, Beceiro-González E, González-Castro MJ, Muniategui-Lorenzo S (2013) Application of a developed method for the extraction of triazines in surface waters and storage prior to analysis to seawaters of Galicia (NW Spain). Sci World J. doi:10.1155/2013/536369

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanagi MM, Abbas HH, Ibrahim WAW, Aboul-Enien HY (2012) Dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method based on solidification of floating organic droplet for the determination of triazine herbicides in water and sugarcane samples. Food Chem 133:557–562

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sanchez-Ortega A, Unceta N, Gomez-Caballero A, Sampedro MC, Akesolo U, Goicolea MA, Barrio RJ (2009) Sensitive determination of triazines in underground waters using stir bar sorptive extraction directly coupled to automated thermal desorption and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Anal Chim Acta 641:110–116

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • See HH, Sanagi MM, Ibrahim WAW, Naim AA (2010) Determination of triazine herbicides using membrane-protected carbon nanotubes solid phase membrane tip extraction prior to micro-liquid chromatography. J Chromatogr A 1217:1767–1772

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Trtic-Petrovic T, Dordevic J, Dujakovic N, Kumric K, Vasiljevic T, Lausevic M (2010) Determination of selected pesticides in environmental water by employing liquid-phase microextraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Anal Bioanal Chem 397:2233–2243

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • van Pinxteren M, Bauer C, Popp P (2009) High performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the analysis of 10 pesticides in water: a comparison between membrane-assisted solvent extraction and solid phase extraction. J Chromatogr A 1216:5800–5806

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang SL, Ren LP, Liu CY, Ge J, Liu FM (2010) Determination of five polar herbicides in water samples by ionic liquid dispersive liquid-phase microextraction. Anal Bioanal Chem 397:3089–3095

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang C, Ji S, Wu Q, Wu C, Wang Z (2011) Determination of triazine herbicides in environmental samples by dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography. J Chromatogr Sci 49:689–694

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ye C, Zhou Q, Wang X (2007) Improved single-drop microextraction for high sensitive analysis. J Chromatogr A 1139:7–13

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang P-P, Shi Z-G, Yu Q-W, Feng Y-Q (2011) A new device for magnetic stirring-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction of UV filters in environmental water samples. Talanta 83:1711–1715

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou QX, Pang L, Xie GH, Xiao JP, Bai HH (2009) Determination of atrazine and simazine in environmental water samples by dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction with high performance liquid chromatography. Anal Sci 25:73–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the financial support of the “Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia” (Project CTQ2007-63949/BQU) and the “Xunta de Galicia” (Project 09MDS038103PR and “Ayuda Consolidación e Estructuración de Unidades de Investigación Competitivas”). N. Rodríguez-González also thanks the “Xunta de Galicia” for the concession of her award under the program “Campus del Mar.”

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grupo Química Analítica Aplicada, Instituto Universitario de Medio Ambiente, Departamento de Química Analítica, Facultade de Ciencias, Universidade da Coruña, Campus de A Coruña, 15071, A Coruña, Spain

    N. Rodríguez-González, E. Beceiro-González, M. J. González-Castro & S. Muniategui-Lorenzo

Authors
  1. N. Rodríguez-González
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. E. Beceiro-González
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. J. González-Castro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. S. Muniategui-Lorenzo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to E. Beceiro-González.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Laura McConnell

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rodríguez-González, N., Beceiro-González, E., González-Castro, M.J. et al. An environmentally friendly method for the determination of triazine herbicides in estuarine seawater samples by dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 618–626 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3383-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3383-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation