Improvement of a 'SSQuEE' Method for Recovery and Preconcentration of Pesticides from Environmental Samples

Abstract

A simple, sensitive, quick, easy and efficient (SSQuEE) analytical technique based on cloud point extraction (CPE) has been developed for the determination of different pesticides present in soil and water with high performance liquid chromatography separation and ultraviolet detection. The environmentally friendliness surfactant like Triton X -100, compared to Tween series of non-ionic surfactant can effectively extract imidacloprid (insecticide), flusilazole (fungicide) and atrazine (herbicide) at cloud point temperature at 67 ºC, 82 ºC and 62 ºC, respectively. To reach the optimum extraction efficiency, different experimental parameters like surfactant concentration, salt type and its concentration, equilibrium time and temperature, pH were observed. At the optimum conditions, linear regression coefficient of the standard curves was greater than 0.9924. The limit of detection of imidacloprid, flusilazole and atrazine were 0.10 μg L-1, 0.24 μg L-1, 0.15 μg L-1 and recovery percent are 99.71 %, 88.1% and 89.74%, respectively.