A β-cyclodextrin-decorated magnetic activated carbon adsorbent was prepared and characterized using various analytical techniques (X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy-electron diffraction spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)), and the adsorbent was used in the development of a magnetic solid-phase microextraction (MSPE) method for the preconcentration of estrone, β-estradiol, hydrocortisone and progesterone in wastewater and river water samples. This method was optimized using the central composite design in order to determine the experimental parameters affecting the extraction procedure. The quantification of hormones was achieved using high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with a photodiode array detector (HPLC-DAD). Under optimum conditions, the linearity ranged from 0.04 to 300 µg L-1 with a correlation of determinations of 0.9969-0.9991. The limits of detection and quantification were between 0.01-0.03 and 0.033-0.1 µg L-1, with intraday and interday precisions at 1.1-3.4 and 3.2-4.2. The equilibrium data were best described by the Langmuir isotherm model, and high adsorption capacities (217-294 mg g-1) were obtained. The developed procedure demonstrated high potential as an effective technique for use in wastewater samples without significant interferences, and the adsorbent could be reused up to eight times.
Keywords: estrone; hydrocortisone; magnetic solid phase extraction; progesterone; wastewater; β-estradiol.