Chemical nature evolution of solid supports used in electromembrane extraction procedures: A comparative analysis based on metric tools

Abstract

Background: In recent decades, green chemistry has been focusing on the adaptation of different chemical methods towards environmental friendliness. Sample preparation procedures, which constitute a fundamental step in analytical methodology, have also been modified and implemented in this direction. In particular, electromembrane extraction (EME) procedures, which have traditionally used plastic supports, have been optimized towards greener approaches through the emergence of alternative materials. In this regard, biopolymer-based membranes (such as agarose or chitosan) have become versatile and very promising substitutes to perform these processes. Results: Different green metric tools (Analytical Eco-Scale, ComplexGAPI and AGREEprep have been applied to study the evolution of solid supports used in EME from nanostructured tissues and polymer inclusion membranes to agar films and chitosan flat membranes. The main goal is to evaluate the usage of these new biomaterials in the analytical procedure to quantify their environmental impact in the frame of Green Analytical Chemistry (GAC). In addition, both RGB model and BAGI metrics have been employed to study the sustainability of the whole procedure, including not only greenness, but also analytical performance and feasibility aspects. Results obtained after the performance of the mentioned metrics have demonstrated that the most efficient and environmentally friendly analytical methods are based on the use of chitosan supports. This improvement is mainly due to the chemical nature of this biopolymer as well as to the removal of organic solvents. Significance: This work highlights the advantages of biodegradable materials employment in EME procedures to achieve green analytical methodologies. These materials also contribute to raise the figure of merits regarding to the quantification parameters in a wide range of applications compared to classical supports employed in EME, thus enhancing sustainability of procedures.