Determination of pesticides in river water using rotating disk sorptive extraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

The rotating disk sorptive extraction (RDSE) technique was applied to the determination of pesticides in aqueous samples. Pesticides of different polarities were considered in this study: chlorpyrifos, diazinon, fenvalarate, cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, lindane and malathion. The sorptive/desorptive behavior of the pesticides was studied using a rotating disk containing a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) phase on one of its surfaces. The analyte polarity was a significant factor in the extraction time; shorter extraction times were required for the more apolar pesticides. The optimum variables for the extraction of all analytes were: extraction time of 3 h, sample volume of 25 mL, rotational velocity of the disk 1250 rpm, desorption time of 30 min using methanol. For pesticides with values of Log Kow > 4, the extraction time can be reduced to 30 min for a quantitative extraction. Under these conditions, recoveries between 76% and 101% were obtained for the target pesticides, and the repeatability of the methodology, expressed as relative standard deviation, was determined to be between 10% and 20%. Additionally, the limits of detection of the analytes were lower than 3.1 μg L−1. The extraction method developed using the RDSE was compared to a stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) under the same conditions. It can be observed that the extraction using the rotating disk offers higher recoveries because of its higher PDMS volume and its higher surface area to volume ratio that allows for improved mass transfer.