Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents for purification of water contaminated with Bisphenol-A

Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents for purification of water contaminated with Bisphenol-A

Journal Pre-proof Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents for purification of water contaminated with Bisphenol-A C. Florindo, Nathalie V. Monteiro, Bernar...

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Journal Pre-proof Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents for purification of water contaminated with Bisphenol-A C. Florindo, Nathalie V. Monteiro, Bernardo D. Ribeiro, L.C. Branco, I.M. Marrucho PII:

S0167-7322(19)33526-3

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2019.111841

Reference:

MOLLIQ 111841

To appear in:

Journal of Molecular Liquids

Received Date: 23 June 2019 Revised Date:

26 September 2019

Accepted Date: 27 September 2019

Please cite this article as: C. Florindo, N.V. Monteiro, B.D. Ribeiro, L.C. Branco, I.M. Marrucho, Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents for purification of water contaminated with Bisphenol-A, Journal of Molecular Liquids (2019), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2019.111841. This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. © 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V.

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Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents for

3

purification of water contaminated with

4

Bisphenol-A

5

C. Florindo,1,2 Nathalie V. Monteiro,1 Bernardo D. Ribeiro,3 L. C. Branco4 and I. M. Marrucho1,2*

6 7 8 9 10 11

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Lisboa, Avenida Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal

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2

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Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Apartado 127, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal

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3

16

de Janeiro, Brazil

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4

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Lisboa, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal

Centro de Química Estrutural, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de

Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, www.itqb.unl.pt,

Escola de Química, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-598 Rio

REQUIMTE, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de

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*Corresponding author. Tel.: +351 218413385; fax: +351 218499242. E-mail address:

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[email protected] (I. M. Marrucho). 1

23

Abstract

24

The occurrence of micropollutants in aquatic ecosystems poses a serious public

25

health and environmental problem. For that purpose, the main goal of this work

26

is the removal of an endocrine disruptor micropollutant compound, Bisphenol-A

27

(BPA), from aqueous environments using hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents

28

(DES). In particular, DES composed of DL-Menthol or quaternary ammonium

29

salts as hydrogen bond acceptors (HBA) and natural fatty acids as hydrogen

30

bond donors (HBD) were prepared. Extraction efficiencies were maximized by

31

optimizing the experimental parameters in the extraction BPA from water using

32

a central composite design combined with a response surface methodology.

33

Thus, the effect of several parameters, such as stirring speed, contact time,

34

DES/water ratio and initial BPA concentration on the extraction efficiencies were

35

evaluated.

36 37

Keywords: Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvents; Wastewater Treatment;

38

Bisphenol-A; Liquid-liquid extraction; Central Composite Design

39

2

40

1. Introduction

41

Currently, one of the major societal challenges is to provide good quality

42

water to everyone, by dramatically reducing or completely eliminating the

43

current hazardous micropollutants present in the water resources around the

44

globe.1, 2 In the coming decades, water scarcity, even in regions considered to

45

be currently rich in water, puts on the 2030 agenda for the sustainable

46

development the urgent development of innovative and sustainable water

47

solutions so that clean water and sanitation can be provided to everyone.3

48

Micropollutants have been emerging as a new class of pollutants since,

49

despite their very small concentration in water streams, their presence can be

50

related to numerous harmful effects on the health of animals and humans, such

51

as carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting effects, antibiotic resistance of

52

microorganisms, etc.4-6 Heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, personal care products,

53

dyes, waterproofing treatments, plasticizers, pesticides, and others, are all

54

classified as micropollutants.7 Among these, Bisphenol-A (BPA) is an emerging

55

micropollutant of special importance since it has been detected in increasing

56

concentrations globally in water sources, as conventional water treatment plants

57

are incapable of removing it completely. BPA has been largely used as a

58

plasticizer from food and drink plastic packaging to plastic medical devices.

59

However, BPA is a also well-known endocrine disruptor compound, that mimics

60

the estrogen hormone, thus affecting the normal development and function of

61

human and wildlife reproductive system.8 Although the European Union and

62

Canada have recognized its harmful effects and banned its use in baby bottles

63

since 2011,

64

consequent removal from water sources.

9,6

there is a long way to go until its full legislative control and

3

65

The development of effective and sustainable innovative water cleaning

66

technologies, typically to complement the existing ones, is a crucial step to

67

achieve the targeted goal of sustainable development. Different extraction

68

techniques, such as aqueous biphasic systems,10,

69

adsorption15, 16 and liquid-liquid extraction17-19, have been tested for removal of

70

BPA from water, with good extraction efficiencies. However, most of these

71

techniques are not sustainable, since they are based on high cost solvents or

72

materials of difficult recycle and reuse, not to mention their hazardousness and

73

consequent water contamination. As a result, benign and recyclable solvents

74

have been searched and developed, so that a truly circular technology can be

75

achieved. Deep eutectic solvents (DES) have been highlighted as sustainable

76

solvents and showed to provide sustainable solutions in numerous scientific and

77

technological fields.20,

78

solvents for numerous applications.20 The ease of preparation, the possibility to

79

use natural and biodegradable components makes DES versatile alternative

80

green solvents.22 DES can be defined as mixtures of two or more compounds

81

composed by hydrogen bond donors (HBD) and acceptors (HBA), which can

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form liquids at room temperature.23 DES emerged as green, sustainable and

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more advantageous solvents compared to ionic liquids and traditional organic

84

solvents, especially considering their environmentally friendly character,

85

biodegradability, low price and straightforward preparation. This class of

86

solvents showed great potential for a diversity of applications, such as in

87

electrochemistry,24

88

extraction and separation,27, 28 catalysis,29 organic synthesis,30 among others.

21

11

liquid membranes,12-14

In recent years, DES have emerged as alternative

nanotechnology,25

stabilization

of

DNA

and

RNA,26

89

Since most DES reported in the literature are water soluble, limiting their

90

application in several processes, the development of hydrophobic DES has 4

91

been attracting the attention of researchers. The preparation and application of

92

several hydrophobic DES in extraction processes, such as removal of metal

93

ions from water, indium extraction from hydrochloric and oxalic acids, removal

94

of pesticides and endocrine disruptor compounds from water, among others 4, 17,

95

31, 32

, has already been reported.

96

The main goal of this work is to evaluate the removal of BPA, from aqueous

97

environments using hydrophobic DES. For that purpose, two different families of

98

hydrophobic DES, namely ionic and neutral, were developed and their ability to

99

extract BPA was evaluated through liquid-liquid extraction. In particular, DES

100

using natural components, as DL-Menthol which can be used as hydrogen bond

101

acceptor (HBA) and hydrogen bond donor (HBD), and different quaternary

102

ammonium salts with long alkyl chain, such as [N7777]Br, [N8888]Br and [N8881]Br,

103

as HBA combining several natural carboxylic acids as HBD, such as octanoic

104

and decanoic acid, were prepared. Chemical structures of hydrophobic DES

105

and the micropollutant used in this work, and their respective acronyms are

106

depicted in Figure 1 as well as in Table A1 in Appendices.

5

[N8888]Br

DL-Menthol Octanoic acid

Decanoic acid [N8881]Br

POLLUTANT

Bisphenol - A

107 108

Figure 1. Chemical structures and respective acronyms of DES and

109

micropollutant studied in this work.

110

Moreover, the most influential experimental parameters on the extraction of

111

BPA from water were identified and optimized using a central composite design

112

(CCD). The optimization of extraction conditions is of utmost importance, since

113

it is crucial to reduce the energy and operation associated cost, leading to

114

environmentally friendly process.

115 116

2. Experimental section

117 118

2.1. Materials

119

DL-Menthol (purity ≥ 95%), tetraheptylammonium bromide ([N7777]Br)

120

(purity ≥ 99%), tetraoctylammonium bromide ([N8888]Br) (purity ≥ 98%),

121

methyltrioctylammonium bromide ([N8881]Br) (purity ≥ 97%), octanoic acid (C8)

122

(purity ≥ 98%) and decanoic acid (C10) (purity ≥ 98%) were purchased from

6

123

Sigma-Aldrich and used as received. The micropollutant Bisphenol-A (mass

124

fraction purity ≥ 99 %) was purchased from Sigma Aldrich and used with no

125

further purification. All aqueous solutions were prepared using high purity water

126

(Milli-Q water) with a specific conductance <0.1 mS/cm.

127

2.2. Methodologies

128

2.2.1. Preparation of DES

129

Hydrophobic DES were prepared according to the methodology proposed

130

in our previous work.33 All DES were prepared by mixing the two components in

131

previously established proportions in a glass vial with a mechanical stirrer) at

132

500 rpm and 333.15 K, until a homogeneous liquid was formed. In the

133

preparation of DES, an analytical high-precision balance with an uncertainty of

134

± 10-5 g, was used to weigh the known masses of the individual compounds into

135

bottles with caps. The HBAs (DL-Menthol, tetraoctylammonium bromide

136

([N8888]Br), tetraheptylammonium bromide ([N7777]Br), methyltrioctylammonium

137

bromide ([N8881]Br) were first dried in a high vacuum pump at 40 °C for at least

138

four days, while the carboxylic acids were used without any further purification,

139

since they usually have very low amount of water. Their water contents were

140

determined by Karl Fischer titration (< 500 ppm). All prepared hydrophobic DES

141

were completely characterized by 1H and13C NMR and FTIR spectroscopy, in

142

order to confirm their expected structures and final purities.

143

2.2.2. Liquid-liquid extraction procedure

144

Liquid-liquid extractions were carried out at (25.0±0.1)oC using the

145

prepared hydrophobic DES as extractants. BPA can be found in water

146

environments at very low concentrations, usually ranging from ng/L to mg/L. In

147

this work, in order to use a simple and fast screening technique, UV-vis 7

148

spectroscopy, slightly greater concentrations were prepared using stock

149

aqueous solutions of BPA of 100 mg/L, 50 mg/L and 25 mg/L.

150

Mixtures composed by each one of the prepared hydrophobic DES and the

151

aqueous solution of BPA were initially stirred vigorously during 10 min, which

152

was the minimum time to reach equilibrium, and then left to settle for 12h, to

153

ensure complete separation of phases. The extractions were carried out at

154

(25.0±0.1)oC. Thereafter, the two phases were carefully separated using a

155

needled syringe and the concentration of the remaining micropollutant in the

156

water-rich phase was measured using UV–vis spectroscopy with a Shimadzu

157

model UV-1800–Pharma-Spec spectrophotometer. Furthermore, to eliminate

158

possible interferences of DES and their interaction with micropollutant in the

159

quantification, only the concentration of BPA in the water phase was

160

experimentally determined. A calibration curve was previously established for

161

BPA in Milli-Q water (curves with R2 > 0.997). All the experiments were carried

162

out in triplicates so that standard deviations of the measurements could be

163

calculated.

164 165

3. Results and discussion 3.1. Performance of different DES as extractants

166

In this work, hydrophobic DES were prepared using ionic hydrophobic

167

compounds such as quaternary ammonium salts with long alkyl chains, namely

168

[N7777]Br, [N8888]Br and [N8881]Br and carboxylic acids, while neutral hydrophobic

169

DES were prepared combining a natural compound, DL-menthol, with

170

carboxylic acids. These DES were prepared at a molar ratio of 1:2, which was

171

determined to be liquid in previous works where phase diagrams of each

172

system were measured. The studied DES are listed in Table A1 in Appendices. 8

173

Terms like deep eutectic solvents, eutectic solvents, eutectic mixtures or low

174

transition temperature mixtures have been used in literature until now to

175

designate this class of compounds, which means that the acronym DES has

176

been used to designate eutectic mixtures that are liquid at room temperature

177

and thus can be used as solvents. In this work we have used deep eutectics

178

(those based on quaternary ammonium salts) and not deep eutectics (those

179

based on DL-Menthol). Although we acknowledge here this difference, we have

180

used the acronym DES for all the solvents used in this work, independently of

181

the fact of the depression in the melting point being deep or not.

182

Nine hydrophobic DES were initially screened for extraction of Bisphenol-A from

183

water environments. The extraction efficiencies, EE %, were calculated from the

184

 Bisphenol-A (BPA) concentration in the water-rich phase before, , , and

185

after the extraction, , :



186 

(%) =



, , 

,

x 100

(eq. 1)

187 188

The extraction efficiencies of BPA using several DES are displayed in Figure 2,

189

and listed in Table B1 in Appendices.

9

100

80

EE%

60

40

[N

88

81

[N

88

0

88 ]B ]B r: r[ : C ND 10 8 8L 8 1M ]Be n [N r:th [N 88 Col 88 8 81 81 ]B ]B r: r: C D 10 LM en D th Lol M en th D ol L:C M en 8 th ol :C 10

20

190 191

Figure 2. Extraction efficiencies (EE %) of Bisphenol-A obtained for all DES

192

used in this work ([C0]BPA = 0.1 g/L, stirring speed = 300 rpm, DES/water ratio =

193

1/1, temperature = 25 ºC, contact time = 10 min).

194

Good extraction efficiencies (> 85%) of BPA from contaminated water were

195

achieved using all the selected hydrophobic DES. These large extraction

196

efficiency values to remove BPA from water are essentially linked to the DES

197

hydrophobicity, since BPA possess a very low water solubility (~120mg/L at

198

25ºC) and a high octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow) of 3.40,34 leading to a

199

large affinity for the organic hydrophobic DES phase. However, some difference

200

in the extraction efficiencies between the studied DES can be observed.

201

Analysing the data in Figure 2, it is clear that the extraction efficiencies depend

202

on the choice of the components of DES, especially on the HBD. Moreover, the

10

203

extraction efficiencies increased with the increase of the alkyl chain length in

204

both the fatty acid and also in the quaternary ammonium salt, which

205

corroborates our previous remarks on the fact that the more hydrophobic the

206

DES are, the higher the extraction efficiencies.35 Thus, the extraction

207

efficiencies of BPA follow the HBA order: [N8888]Br: HBD (∼98% EE) > [N7777]Br:

208

HBD (∼95% EE) > [N8881]Br: HBD (∼91% EE) ≥ DL-Menthol: HBD (∼87% EE).

209

Regarding the HBD of DES, the trend of the extraction efficiencies can be

210

organized in the following order [N7777]Br > [N8888]Br > [N8881]Br > DL-Menthol

211

for C8 acid, and [N7777]Br ~ [N8888]Br > [N8881]Br > DL-Menthol for C10 acid,

212

where the latter is the DES with the lowest EE%.

213

For all the HBAs studied there is a small difference in the BPA extraction

214

between octanoic and decanoic acid, except for [N7777]Br where similar results

215

within the experimental error were obtained. Looking at [N8881]Br as HBA, it can

216

be seen that extraction efficiencies using DL-Menthol and decanoic acid as

217

HBDs are also comparable, probably due their similar hydrophilicity.

218

Consequently, it can be concluded that the extraction of BPA from water seems

219

to be directly related to water solubility of components of the hydrophobic DES.

220 221 222

3.2. Screening of experimental parameters influencing the extraction efficiency

223

The optimization of the experimental parameters of a process is perhaps the

224

most important aspect for its implementation at an industrial level, since it

225

largely influences the cost/efficiency ratio. Therefore, in this section, the

226

influence of several experimental variables, such as mass ratio of HBA/HBD of

227

DES, contact time, stirring speed of mixing, DES to water ratio and initial

11

228

concentration of micropollutant, in the extraction efficiencies is evaluated and

229

discussed in detail.

230 231

3.2.1. HBA/HBD molar ratio

232

As it has been recognized by several authors, the molar ratio between HBA and

233

HBD is one of the important factors influencing the physicochemical properties

234

of DES.36 In order to explore the impact of using different molar ratio of eutectic

235

mixtures, where they are still liquid at working temperature, on the extraction

236

efficiencies of BPA, four molar HBA: HBD ratios (1:2, 1:3, 1:4 and 1:5) were

237

selected and used to prepare DES belonging to the three quaternary

238

ammonium salts DES families ([N7777]Br, [N8888]Br and [N8881]Br) and DL-

239

Menthol DES family. The reason to select these specific molar ratios of HBA:

240

HBD is due to the fact that higher proportions of salt than acid would not lead to

241

liquid phase at room temperature. The extraction results of BPA from aqueous

242

solutions using different molar HBA:HBD proportions of different ionic and

243

neutral DES are presented in Figure 3 and also listed in Table B2 in

244

Appendices.

12

100 1:2 1:3 1:4 1:5

80

EE%

60

40

20

ho D

LM en

th

en t M r: D L-

[N

88 81

]B

[N

ol :C 8

l

8 B r: C 88 81 ]

r: C 7] B 77 7

[N

[N

88 88 ]

B r: C

10

8

0

245 246

Figure 3. Influence of HBA: HBD ratio of five DES families on the extraction

247

efficiencies (EE %) of BPA ([C0]BPA = 0.1 g/L, Stirring speed = 300 rpm,

248

DES/water ratio = 1/1, Temperature = 25 ºC, Contact time = 10 min).

249 250

It can be seen that the molar ratios do not significantly influence the extraction

251

efficiencies for the studied DES, and [N8888]Br:C8 is the one where larger

252

differences in the BPA extraction efficiencies with the HBA:HBD molar ratios

253

were observed. Thus, in general, it can be concluded that the incorporation of

254

more acid (increasing from 1:2 to 1:5) does not favour the extraction efficiencies

255

of BPA for both ionic and neutral DES. Since the best performance for all the

256

studied systems was always achieved using the lowest HBA: HBD molar ratio

257

(1:2), this ratio was chosen to carry out further studies.

258

13

3.2.2. Effect of initial concentration of BPA in water

259 260

In order to explore the effect of initial concentration of micropollutant on the

261

extraction efficiency of BPA, the initial concentration was varied from 0.1 g/L to

262

0.025 g/L (100, 50 and 25 ppm) and the obtained results are presented in

263

Figure 4 and listed in Table B3 in Appendices. 100

80 0.1 g/L 0.05 g/L 0.025 g/L

EE %

60

40

ac

id

10

ac 8

:C

en

th

ol

ol th en

M LD

D

L-

M

]B 81

:C

M Lr:

D

81 88

[N 88 [N

ol en

C r: ]B

]B 81 88

th

10

8 C r:

C r: ]B [N

[N

77

77

77 77 [N

10

8 C r: ]B

r: ]B

88 88

[N

[N

88

88

]B

r:

C

C

8

10

0

id

20

264 265

Figure 4. Influence of initial concentration of Bisphenol-A in water on the

266

extraction efficiencies (EE %) for all DES used in this work (Stirring speed = 300

267

rpm, DES/water ratio = 1/1, Temperature = 25 ºC, Contact time = 10 min).

268 269

It can be seen that the initial concentration of the BPA greatly influences the

270

EE% of BPA for the majority of the studied DES. Overall, extraction efficiencies

271

decrease as the concentration of BPA decreases as follows: 0.1 g/L > 0.05 g/L

272

> 0.025 g/L. However, for DES composed of decanoic acid as HBD, this

273

decrease in %EE is much smaller than for DES composed of more hydrophilic

274

HBD, such as octanoic acid or DL-Menthol. This fact is true for the all studied 14

275

DES, both ionic and neutral. This behavior of the EE% with BPA initial

276

concentration is linked to hydrophobic character of the HBD: the extraction

277

efficiencies of BPA carried out with DES composed of decanoic acid are less

278

affected by the initial concentration of micropollutant than those composed of

279

octanoic acid or DL-menthol as HBD. This gives the opportunity to tune the

280

DES chemical structure through the HBD in order to maintain the extraction

281

efficiency. In some cases, such as [N7777]Br: C10, the differences achieved in

282

the EE% at different initial concentrations of BPA are negligible. In conclusion,

283

the best DES to efficiently remove BPA at low concentrations are the ionic most

284

hydrophobic, [N7777]Br: C10 and [N8888]Br: C10, and therefore the less effective

285

are the most hydrophilic, [N8881]Br: C8 and DL-Menthol: C8.

286 287

3.2.3. Effect of contact time

288

Contact time is a crucial parameter that reflects the kinetics of the separation

289

process. A fast kinetics, as thus a short contact time, is usually desired. In order

290

to find the optimal time to carry out the extraction of BPA from aqueous

291

solutions, the best DES of each family, those with HBA: HBD ratio of (1:2), were

292

selected to perform these experiments. Figure 5 shows the extraction

293

efficiencies of BPA from water as a function of time at 25 ºC and also listed in

294

Table B4 in Appendices.

295 296 297 298

15

100

EE %

95

90

[N7777]Br: C10 [N8888]Br: C10 [N8881]Br: C10 [N8881]Br: DL-Menthol DL-Menthol: C10

85

80 5

10

20

30

Time (min)

299 300

Figure 5. Influence of contact time on the extraction efficiencies (EE %) for the

301

best DES used in this work ([C0]BPA = 0.1 g/L, stirring speed = 300 rpm,

302

temperature = 25 ºC, DES/water ratio = 1/1).

303 304

It can be concluded that the extraction process of BPA using all the proposed

305

DES is quite fast, and the equilibrium can be reached after 5 to 10 min. Thus,

306

the contact time was set to 10 min to ensure that the equilibrium is attained for

307

all DES.

308 309

3.2.4. Effect of stirring speed

310

Stirring speed is another parameter that might influence the extraction efficiency

311

of BPA. The influence of stirring speed on the extraction efficiencies of BPA for

312

the most performing DES used in this work, which are [N7777]Br: C10, [N8888]Br:

313

C10, [N8881]Br: C10, [N8881]Br: DL-Menthol and DL-Menthol: C10, is shown in

314

Figure 6 and listed in Table B5 in Appendices.

16

100

EE %

95

90

[N7777]Br: C10 [N8888]Br: C10 [N8881]Br: C10 [N8881]Br: DL-Menthol DL-Menthol: C10

85

80 100

300

500

750

Stirring speed (rpm)

315 316

Figure 6. Influence of stirring speed on the extraction efficiencies (EE %) for the

317

best DES used in this work ([C0]BPA = 0.1 g/L, DES/water ratio = 1/1,

318

temperature = 25 ºC, contact time = 10 min).

319 320

These results show that the increase of the stirring speed leads to a minor

321

decrease in the EE% for some DES, especially for the highest stirring speed,

322

750 rpm. This can probably be due to the different solubilities of water in DES35

323

and the fact that the stirring speed might affect the dispersion of water in the

324

studied DES. On the other hand, for [N8881]Br: C10

325

negligible, taking into account the error bars. In conclusion, not taking into

326

account the highest stirring speed, after 300 rpm, no significant increase in EE%

327

is obtained. Thus, 300 rpm was chosen as the optimal extraction stirring speed,

328

for energetic considerations.

this effect is almost

329 330

3.2.5. Effect of DES/water mass ratio

17

331

In terms of cost of an industrial extraction process, it is desirable to obtain

332

higher extraction efficiencies for a minimum amount of solvent. The effect of the

333

mass ratio of the DES/water phases in the BPA extraction efficiencies was

334

studied and the results are shown in Figure 7 and listed in Table B6 in

335

Appendices.

336 337 338 100

80 1/3 1/2 1/1 3/1

EE %

60

40

20

ac ]B 88 r id : 81 C 10 ]B r: ac D D id LLM M en en th D th Lol ol M :C en 8 th ac ol id :C 10 ac id

d

r: C 8

88 81

[N

[N

88 8

1] B

10

ac i

ac id r: C

]B

77 77 [N

[N

ac i

r: C 8

10 77 7

7] B

r: C

]B [N

88 88 [N

[N

88 8

8] B

r: C 8

ac id

d

0

339 340

Figure 7. Effect of DES/water ratio on the extraction efficiencies (EE %) for all

341

DES used in this work ([C0]BPA = 0.1 g/L, stirring speed = 300 rpm, temperature

342

= 25 ºC, contact time = 10 min).

343

18

344

It can be observed that the increase of DES/water mass ratio does not have a

345

significant effect in the BPA extraction efficiencies. An exception is the case of

346

3/1 DES/water ratio, where a large decrease in the extraction efficiencies is

347

observed for DES based on octanoic acid as HBD. These results are probably

348

due to the lower hydrophobicity of these DES and higher solubility of water in

349

them.35

350

In general, these results show that only a small mass of DES is needed to treat

351

large volumes of contaminated water, which is probably due to high

352

hydrophobicity of the DES and the very low solubility of BPA in water. These

353

results are of particular importance when the DES starting materials are

354

expensive, such as in the case of hydrophobic quaternary ammonium salts with

355

long alkyl chains.

356 357 358

3.3. Optimization

of

the

extraction

efficiency

using

Experimental Design

359 360

The response surface methodology (RSM) is a useful and efficient statistical

361

tool which allows optimizing the response of a system to the change of a set of

362

independent variables. In this work, a Central Composite Design (CCD) was

363

used to determine a set of experimental conditions leading to an optimal

364

extraction efficiency of BPA. From the previously carried out studies, two

365

experimental parameters, initial concentration of micropollutant and the

366

DES/water mass ratio, could be identified as important for the extraction of

367

Bisphenol-A

368

experimental parameter that, generally, greatly influences the solubility and,

369

consequently, the extraction processes. Since [N8888]Br: C10 (1:2) DES

from

water

environments.

Temperature

is

also

another

19

370

presented the highest extraction efficiency values, it was selected to be used in

371

CCD, where the optimal temperature, DES/water ratio and initial concentration

372

of BPA parameter to achieve the highest extraction efficiencies.

373

The levels of the studied variables are shown in Table 1.

374 375

Table 1. Optimization of BPA extraction for [N8888]Br: C10 (1:2) using a

376

experimental central composite design.

377

Experimental Factors Temperature DES/water Ratio Initial Concentration (C0)

- 1.68

-1

0

+1

+ 1.68

19

26

35

45

50

0.24

0.96

2

3.05

3.76

0.03

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.09

of BPA 378 379 380

A fixed extraction time of 10 min and stirring speed of 300 rpm were used, since

381

these parameters do not influence the extraction efficiencies. The experimental

382

data obtained were analyzed by Pareto analysis of variance (ANOVA) and fitted

383

to

384

analysis. Detailed data are provided in Appendices.

385

The statistical design software STATISTICA 6.0 (Statsoft Inc., Tulsa, U.S.A.)

386

was used to analyze the data and graphically display the results. Central

387

composite design was implemented for the experimental design analysis, using

388

the response surface and the desirability approach, which converts each

389

response variable in an individual desirability function ranging from 0 to 1. This

a

second-order

polynomial

equation

using

multiple

regression

20

390

design allows the interpretation of the association between the response of the

391

percentage of extraction efficiencies and the independent variables that

392

influence the BPA extraction from water. The influence of each parameter in

393

BPA extraction efficiency using a CCD is illustrated in Figure 8 and listed in

394

Table C1 in Appendices.

395

396 397

i) ii) iii) Figure 8. Response surface (top) and desirability plots (bottom) of the

398

extraction efficiencies (EE %) of BPA from water using [N8888]Br:C10 DES with

399

the combined effects of: i) Temperature and DES/water ratio; ii) initial

400

concentration of BPA in water and DES/water ratio; and iii) initial concentration

401

of BPA in water and Temperature.

402 403

An F-test and p-value were applied to the obtained model to check the

404

significance of each coefficient. The low p-value (< 0.0001) and the high F-test

405

indicate the suitability of the model. The repeatability of the model was assured

21

406

through an average of three replicas of extraction efficiencies experiments with

407

95.77 ± 0.02 of EE%.

408

In Figure 8 b) a steep decrease of the extraction efficiencies of BPA with initial

409

concentration of BPA, independently of temperature and DES/water ratio, can

410

be observed. The response curve temperature versus DES/water mass ratio

411

are relatively flat, with a maximum at low temperatures and low DES/water

412

mass ratio, revealing that after all the small effect of these two parameters. It is

413

important to note that the most important factor is the initial concentration of

414

BPA as well as the interaction between temperature and DES/water ratio.

415

These results were consistent with ANOVA table and also showed that higher

416

temperatures are not beneficial or required for this extraction process, as much

417

lower temperatures or even room temperature. It means that in most cases,

418

higher extraction efficiencies were achieved at 25 °C or lower temperatures.

419

As shown in Figure 8, and as previously demonstrated in the experimental

420

work, by adjusting the different factors similar extraction efficiencies can be

421

obtained. This result is very attractive for industrial application, since the

422

process can be performed at low temperatures, lowering costs in terms of

423

energy.

424

4. Reuse of DES

425

From an economical point of view, it is very important to have a solvent that can

426

be used for multiple extractions, without losing its extraction capacity. In order to

427

evaluate the possibility of reuse the DES, sequential extraction cycles were

428

carried out, always using the same DES in contact with “fresh” contaminated

429

water phase. Since [N8888]Br: C10 allowed to achieve the highest extraction

430

efficiencies, this DES was chosen. The results for five consecutive DES reuse

431

cycles are shown in Figure 9 and listed in Table B7 in Appendices. 22

432 433

Figure 9. Extraction capability (EE %) of [N8888]Br: C10 DES during several

434

cycles ([C0]BPA = 0.1 g/L, DES/water ratio = 1/1, stirring speed = 300 rpm,

435

temperature = 25 ºC, contact time = 10 min).

436 437

From the analysis of Figure 9 it is obvious that [N8888]Br: C10 DES could be

438

reused up to five times without loss of its BPA extraction capability. This is

439

directly related to the solubility of BPA in DES which was verified that is around

440

five hundred times higher than in water. As mentioned before this is an

441

important property from the economic and the sustainable point of view.

442

5. Conclusions

443

Hydrophobic DES have attracted considerable attention as task specific

444

solvents for the extraction micropollutants, which typically are also hydrophobic,

445

without contamination of water streams. In the present work, several

446

hydrophobic DES, prepared using natural hydrophobic compounds such as DL-

447

Menthol and fatty acids and several quaternary ammonium salts, were prepared

448

and their efficiency in the extraction of an emerging micropollutant, Bisphenol-A, 23

449

from water environments, evaluated. The results showed that [N8888]Br: C10 can

450

extract almost 100% of BPA from water environments under the optimal

451

conditions. The recycling of DES is also possible due to its large capacity for

452

this micro pollutant.

453 454

Acknowledgements

455

C. Florindo and L. C. Branco, gratefully acknowledge the financial support of

456

FCT/MCTES (Portugal) for the PhD fellowship SFRH/BD/102313/2014 and for

457

the contract under Programa Investigador FCT 2013 (IF/0041/2013). This work

458

was financed by CQE project (UID/QUI/00100/2013) and Research Unit

459

GREEN-it "Bioresources for Sustainability" (UID/Multi/04551/2013).

460 461

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28

APPENDICES

Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents for purification of water contaminated with bisphenol-A

C. Florindo,1,2 Nathalie V. Monteiro,1 Bernardo D. Ribeiro,3 L. C. Branco4 and I. M. Marrucho1,2*

1

Centro de Química Estrutural, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de

Lisboa, Avenida Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal 2

Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, www.itqb.unl.pt,

Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Apartado 127, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal 3

Escola de Química, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-598 Rio

de Janeiro, Brazil 4

REQUIMTE, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de

Lisboa, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal

*Corresponding Author: Isabel M. Marrucho ([email protected])

A. Deep Eutectic Solvents Synthesis and characterization Table A1. List of the hydrophobic DESs prepared in this work.

HBA

Tetraheptylammonium bromide, [N7777]Br

HBD

Octanoic acid, C8 acid Decanoic acid, C10 acid

Tetraoctylammonium bromide, [N8888]Br

Octanoic acid, C8 acid Decanoic acid, C10 acid

Methyltrioctylammonium bromide, [N8881]Br

Octanoic acid, C8 acid Decanoic acid, C10 acid DL-Menthol

MW

Molar

(g/mol)

Ratio

[N7777]Br: C8

259.70

1:2

[N7777]Br: C10

278.40

1:2

[N8888]Br: C8

278.40

1:2

[N8888]Br: C10

297.10

1:2

[N8881]Br: C8

245.68

1:2

[N8881]Br: C10

264.38

1:2

253.71

1:2

DL-Menthol: C8

148.23

1:2

DL-Menthol: C10

166.93

1:2

Abbreviation

[N8881]Br: DLMenthol

DL-Menthol

Octanoic acid, C8 acid Decanoic acid, C10 acid

S2

Characterization of the best DES studied, [N8888]Br: C10

Decanoic acid, C10

[N8888]Br

0.00

[N8888]Br: C10 (1:2)

4000

3500

3000

2500 2000 Wavenumber cm-1

1500

1000

Figure A1. FTIR analysis of the hydrophobic DESs ([N8888]Br: C10) studied in this work.

S3

Figure A2. DSC analysis of the hydrophobic DESs ([N8888]Br: C10) studied in this work.

Figure A3. TGA analysis of the hydrophobic DESs ([N8888]Br: C10) studied in this work.

S4

B. Liquid-liquid extraction technique Table B1. Extraction efficiencies (EE %) of Bisphenol - A obtained for all DESs (1:2 molar ratio) used in this work ([C0]BPA = 0.1 g/L, stirring speed = 300 rpm, DES/water ratio = 1/1, temperature = 25 ºC, contact time = 10 min).

DESs

Extraction Efficiencies (EE%)

[N7777]Br: C8

94.91 ± 1.919

[N7777]Br: C10

97.10 ± 1.547

[N8888]Br: C8

90.48 ± 2.039

[N8888]Br: C10

97.61 ± 1.567

[N8881]Br: C8

84.24 ± 2.523

[N8881]Br: C10

91.99 ± 3.026

[N8881]Br: DL-Menthol

91.45 ± 3.026

DL-Menthol: C8

81.65 ± 1.938

DL-Menthol: C10

92.43 ± 1.231

S5

Table B2. Influence of ratio between HBA and HBD in some DESs on the extraction efficiencies (EE %) ([C0]BPA = 0.1 g/L, Stirring speed = 300 rpm, DES/water ratio = 1/1, Temperature = 25 ºC, Contact time = 10 min).

Extraction Efficiencies (EE %) DESs 1:2

1:3

1:4

[N7777]Br: C10

97.10 ± 1.234

94.69 ± 0.971

93.89 ± 1.342

[N8888]Br: C8

92.80 ± 2.039

89.89 ± 2.322

87.36 ± 0.238

[N8881]Br: C8

84.24 ± 2.523

82.75 ± 1.609

81.75 ± 0.613

83.30 ± 1.478

73.63 ± 1.500

85.29 ± 1.483

81.01 ± 1.938

79.39 ± 1.655

78.45 ± 2.898

[N8881]Br: DLMenthol DL-Menthol: C8

1:5

86.77 ± 0.786 81.78 ± 0.274 84.02 ± 1.582 79.76 ± 2.696

S6

Table B3. Influence of initial concentration of Bisphenol-A on the extraction efficiencies (EE %) for all DESs used in this work (Stirring speed = 300 rpm, DES/water ratio = 1/1, Temperature = 25 ºC, Contact time = 10 min).

Extraction Efficiencies (EE %) DESs 100ppm

50ppm

25ppm

[N7777]Br: C8

94.91 ± 1.938

81.63 ± 2.5034

64.31 ± 2.473

[N7777]Br: C10

97.10 ± 1.231

96.34 ± 0.442

93.20 ± 0.981

[N8888]Br: C8

87.79 ± 1.919

81.87 ± 1.058

67.47 ± 0.314

[N8888]Br: C10

97.31 ± 1.547

94.79 ± 0.216

86.35 ± 0.432

[N8881]Br: C8

79.57 ± 2.039

73.20 ± 0.583

47.46 ± 2.198

[N8881]Br: C10

86.54 ± 1.567

88.19 ± 0.615

78.30 ± 1.452

[N8881]Br: DL-Menthol

89.41 ± 2.523

84.88 ± 0.356

71.44 ± 0.648

DL-Menthol: C8

81.65 ± 3.026

73.22 ± 0.583

59.81 ± 0.255

DL-Menthol: C10

94.17 ± 2.892

91.12 ± 1.155

82.15 ± 3.219

Table B4. Influence of contact time on the extraction efficiencies (EE %) for the best deep eutectic solvents used in this work ([C0]BPA = 0.1 g/L, stirring speed = 300 rpm, temperature = 25 ºC, DES/water ratio = 1/1).

Extraction Efficiencies (EE %) DESs 5 min

10 min

20 min

30 min

[N7777]Br: C10

97.70 ± 0.240

98.46 ± 0.343

97.63 ± 0.306

98.40 ± 1.456

[N8888]Br: C10

98.44 ± 0.279

99.14 ± 0.573

97.94 ± 0.762

98.47 ± 0.887

[N8881]Br: C10

93.84 ± 0.970

94.55 ± 0.133

93.85 ± 0.322

93.98 ± 0.457

92.21 ± 0.545

92.47 ± 0.259

92.06 ± 0.032

91.88 ± 0.234

95.16 ±1.633

94.97 ± 0.466

95.19 ± 1.139

95.09 ± 0.791

[N8881]Br: DLMenthol DL-Menthol: C10

S7

Table B5. Influence of stirring speed on the extraction efficiencies (EE %) for the best DESs used in this work ([C0]BPA = 0.1 g/L, DES/water ratio = 1/1, temperature = 25 ºC, contact time = 10 min).

Extraction Efficiencies (EE %) DESs 100 rpm

300 rpm

500 rpm

750 rpm

[N7777]Br: C10

97.31 ± 0.239

97.10 ± 0.343

96.84 ± 0.306

95.91 ± 1.456

[N8888]Br: C10

98.36 ± 0.852

99.14 ± 0.718

97.94 ± 0.643

96.47 ± 0.869

[N8881]Br: C10

92.60 ± 1.023

92.65 ± 0.733

92.08 ± 0.321

91.65 ± 0.467

91.99 ± 0.545

91.00 ± 0.259

91.45 ± 0.256

92.08 ± 0.234

95.60 ± 0.805

94.53 ± 0.272

95.65 ± 0.238

93.09 ± 0.713

[N8881]Br: DLMenthol DL-Menthol: C10

S8

Table B6. Effect of DES/water ratio on the extraction efficiencies (EE %) for all DESs used in this work ([C0]BPA = 0.1 g/L, stirring speed = 300 rpm, temperature = 25 ºC, contact time = 10 min).

Extraction Efficiencies (EE %) DESs 1/3

1/2

1/1

3/1

[N7777]Br: C8

95.06 ± 0.230

94.03 ± 0.128

94.35±0.793

79.31 ± 0.928

[N7777]Br: C10

98.70 ± 0.300

98.94 ± 0.600

97.10±0.650

96.00 ± 0.380

[N8888]Br: C8

88.33 ± 0.960

91.07 ± 0.485

91.24±1.071

77.12 ± 1.938

[N8888]Br: C10

98.23 ± 0.671

98.68 ± 0.190

97.03±0.815

95.86 ± 0.707

[N8881]Br: C8

86.40 ± 2.340

85.03 ± 0.730

84.22±0.023

65.72 ± 1.624

[N8881]Br: C10

94.74 ± 0.196

92.97 ± 0.888

90.33±2.350

87.60 ± 1.120

[N8881]Br: DL-

92.21 ± 0.400

91.00 ± 0.600

87.89±5.022

84.55 ± 1.473

DL-Menthol: C8

83.75 ± 4.494

85.03 ± 0.730

84.22±0.023

61.13 ± 0.967

DL-Menthol: C10

94.88 ± 0.500

94.83 ± 0.600

93.91±0.400

89.82 ± 1.141

Menthol

S9

Table B7. Extraction capability (EE %) of [N8888]Br: C10 DES during several cycles ([C0]BPA = 0.1 g/L, DES/water ratio = 1/1, stirring speed = 300 rpm, temperature = 25 ºC, contact time = 10 min).

[N8888]Br: C10

Extraction Efficiencies (EE%)

1st cycle

98.5714

2nd cycle

98.7744

3rd cycle

98.3985

4th cycle

98.7068

5th cycle

98.8571

S10

C. Design Experimental Experiment Table C1. Extraction efficiencies obtained for removal of Bisphenol-A from water environments using a central composite design (CCD). Experimen

DES/wate

Temperat

C0 of BPA

EE

ts

r Ratio

ure

(%)

1

0.96

26.0

0.04

97.35

2

0.96

26.0

0.08

99.19

3

0.96

45.0

0.04

96.28

4

0.96

45.0

0.08

98.49

5

3.05

26.0

0.04

87.44

6

3.05

26.0

0.08

97.56

7

3.05

45.0

0.04

92.86

8

3.05

45.0

0.08

97.78

9

0.24

35.0

0.06

98.45

10

3.76

35.0

0.06

95.94

11

2.00

19.0

0.06

97.98

12

2.00

51.0

0.06

95.79

13

2.00

35.0

0.03

91.44

14

2.00

35.0

0.09

97.72

15 (C)

2.00

35.0

0.06

95.74

16 (C)

2.00

35.0

0.06

95.78

17 (C)

2.00

35.0

0.06

95.78

S11

Highlights



Hydrophobic DESs combining natural components were prepared.



An endocrine disruptor micropollutant is removed from aqueous environments.



All hydrophobic DESs showed promising abilities of extracting Bisphenol-A.



Hydrophobic DES can be reused for several cycles.



The process of extraction is feasible from an economical and time-consuming point of view.

No conflict of interests are declared.