Trends in application of porous materials for solid phase extraction of ultra-trace inorganic mercury from biological and environmental samples

Abstract

Annually, a tremendous amount of mercury is emitted due to anthropogenic activities. As a consequence, occupational and environmental exposure to mercury has drawn broad concern all over the world, and attempts have been sustained to progress analytical methods. The main limitation in exposure assessment is the complexity of biological and environmental samples. Environmental and biological samples need sample preparation to eliminate matrix interferences as well as pre-concentration of the ultra-trace analyte. Among sample preparation methods, considerable attention is devoted to solid-phase extraction (SPE). Porous materials play a vital role in the solid phase extraction procedure for the adsorption and desorption of the target analytes. In this paper, porous materials that were applied for inorganic mercury solid phase extraction were reviewed from 2009 until 2023. Through this study, porous materials were classified and the extraction parameters of each analytical method, including the type of solid phase extraction, porous adsorbent, adsorbent amount, extraction efficiency, real matrices, and detection technique, were clarified. Ultimately, novel attitudes toward green analytical chemistry and innovative ideas were discussed in order to open new horizons.