Onsite Environmental Extraction Based on Portable and Affordable Stirred Devices

Abstract

Environmental compartments are characterized by their large size and the heterogeneous distribution of the target analytes. Onsite extraction procedures are especially useful in this scenario, allowing the development of ambitious sampling campaigns (including a larger number of locations and periods). This article outlines the relevance of extraction techniques, including exhaustive and non-exhaustive ones, in onsite strategies. However, only stirred units are discussed and described in detail. The discussion of the analytical performance (for example, sensitivity and precision) is intentionally avoided to focus the attention on the devices that can be applied (selecting the sorptive phase) to almost any analytical problem. The impact of open technologies (microprocessors and 3D printing) in the design of these units is also presented.