Superhydrophilic graphene oxide/electrospun cellulose nanofibre for efficient adsorption of organophosphorus pesticides from environmental samples

Abstract

Superhydrophilic graphene oxide/electrospun cellulose nanofibre (GO/CNF) was synthesized, characterized and successfully used in a solid-phase membrane tip adsorption (SPMTA) as an adsorbent towards a simultaneous analysis of polar organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in several food and water samples. Separation, determination and quantification were achieved prior to ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detector. The influence of several parameters such as sample pH, adsorption time, adsorbent dosage and initial concentration were investigated. SPMTA was linear in the range of 0.05 and 10 mg l−1 under the optimum adsorption conditions (sample pH 12; 5 mg of adsorbent dosage; 15 min of adsorption time) for methyl parathion, ethoprophos, sulfotepp and chlorpyrifos with excellent correlation coefficients of 0.994–0.999. Acceptable precision (RSDs) as achieved for intraday (0.06–5.44%, n = 3) and interday (0.17–7.76%, n = 3) analyses. Low limits of detection (0.01–0.05 mg l−1) and satisfactory consistency in adsorption (71.14–99.95%) were obtained for the spiked OPPs from Sungai Pahang, Tasik Cheras, cabbages and rice samples. The adsorption data were well followed the second-order kinetic model and fits the Freundlich adsorption model. The newly synthesized GO/CNF showed a great adsorbent potential for OPPs analysis.

Keywords

• graphene oxide/electrospun cellulose nanofibre
• adsorption
• polar organophosphorus pesticides
• electrospinning