Electromembrane Extraction Based on Biodegradable Materials: Biopolymers as Sustainable Alternatives to Plastics

Abstract

Green and environmentally friendly approaches are increasingly necessary when developing new analytical methodologies. Electromembrane extraction (EME) has contributed to this by offering new alternatives to the traditional and widely used plastic materials. Specially, those derived from bio- polymers (such as agarose or chitosan) have recently gained a great importance in EME as they are biodegradable and sustainable, which constitutes a major advantage in the environmental impact of these processes. This review is intended to cover the recent advances made on EME procedures based on the use of sustainable biopolymer-based materials by addressing the properties and synthesis of these materials as well as their analytical application. Extraction devices and EME methods will be extensively discussed, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, aiming at improving analytical methodologies for sample processing, while contributing to their sustainability.