New Sorbent from Agro-industrial Waste and its Potential Use in 17ß-Estradiol and 17α-Ethynylestradiol Removal

In recent years, the increasing introduction of new chemicals in the market, and the development of more accurate analytical methods, added a variety of endocrine disruptors compounds (EDC) [1]. Even though they are found in very low concentrations (range of ng L-1) there is still a lack of knowledge about long-term risks of EDC for non-target organisms as well as for human health [2]. Usually, the current methods are not adequate for direct determination of target compounds at low concentration level in complex matrix samples. There is a need for developing new reliable analytical methods, which will enable a rapid, sensitive and selective determination of EDC in environmental samples. Therefore, a sample pretreatment step prior to chromatographic analysis is necessary for pre-concentrating the target analytes [3]. In order to solve this problem, there is a demand for new adsorbents materials for solid-phase extraction (SPE) which may improve analyte recovery, sorptive capacity and selectivity. In this context, this study aimed to develop a new SPE sorbent from agroindustrial waste for removal of 17beta-estradiol (E2) and 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE2) from aqueous solution. The adsorption kinetic for E2 and EE2 in the first hours reached 95% of removal for both hormones. All experiments showed the potential of the agroindustrial sorbent as a new material for SPE devices.