Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction Coupled to Gas Chromatography-Electron Capture Detection for the Analysis of Trihalomethane Formation Potential

Abstract

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) is an attractive miniaturized technique that utilizes microliter volumes of extraction solvents. In this study, a DLLME technique was employed for the determination of four major trihalomethane (THM) compounds and analyzed using gas chromatography-electron capture detection. Optimization was conducted in terms of type and volume of disperser solvent, type and volume of extraction solvent, and addition of salt and extraction time. Optimized conditions employed methanol (0.25 mL) as the disperser solvent containing carbon disulfide (20 µL) as the extraction solvent. The linear range was 0.020–4.00 µg/L. Low limits of detection for the analytes were obtained in the range of 0.01 to 0.24 µg/L with enrichment factors ranging from 95–283. The relative recoveries of THMs from water samples at spiking level of 2 µg/L were in the range of 79.9 to 103.4%. This method was successfully applied to the determination of THM formation potential (THMFP) in river water samples. It was found that the concentration of THMFP in three Malaysian rivers were below the maximum permissible limits of World Health Organization (WHO).