Ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled with capillary gas chromatography for simultaneous analysis of nine pyrethroids in domestic wastewaters

A simple and rapid ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction method coupled with GC-flame ionization detection was developed for simultaneous determination of nine pyrethroids in domestic wastewater samples. An ultrasound-assisted process was applied to accelerate the formation of the fine cloudy solution using small volume of disperser solvent, which markedly increased the extraction efficiency and reduced the equilibrium time. Various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were investigated, including the type and volume of extraction solvent and disperser solvent, extraction and ultrasonic time. Good linearity was obtained for all analytes in the range of 0.8-100 mu g/L with the correlation coefficient (r(2)) >= 0.998. The recoveries at three spiking levels ranged from 75.3 to 101.2% with the RSD less than 8.7% (n = 5). Under the optimum condition, the enrichment factors for the nine pyrethroids ranged from 728- to 1725-fold. This method offered a good alternative for routine analysis due to its simplicity and reliability.