Bioaccumulation of tetrabromobisphenol A in a laboratory-based fish-water system based on selective magnetic molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction

Abstract

Recently, magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) using magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIPs), which is a simple process with excellent selectivity, has attracted much attention for the determination of environmental pollutants. In this study, MMIPs were used as an adsorbent to establish a selective MSPE method coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography using ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) for the determination of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) levels in water and fish samples. The samples were collected from a laboratory-based fish-water system after 0, 2, 5, 8, 11, 20, 30, and 50 days. We found that the concentrations of TBBPA in the sample group spiked with TBBPA decreased in the water samples over time and increased in the fish samples from 2 to 30 days, then finally decreased. The calculated bioconcentration factor (BCF) increased over time, reaching 33.98 L/kg after 50 days exposure to TBBPA. Linear and exponential kinetic models were applied to fit the correlation between BCF and exposure time, and the constant of the time-dependent BCF (K_u) ranged from 0.0364 to 1.5250 L/kg per day with a corresponding R² of 0.6786 to 0.9985. Simplified mathematical models to evaluate the transfer characteristics of TBBPA in a laboratory-based fish-water system have been developed.

Keywords: Bioconcentration factor; Fish–water system; Magnetic solid-phase extraction; Tetrabromobisphenol A.