Bio-derived solvent-based automated dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for pretreatment of diamide insecticides in environmental water samples†

A green, efficient, and cost-effective bio-derived solvent-based automated dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (BDS-ADLLME) method was developed in the present study. A liquid handling platform with only the pipetting function module was employed to achieve automated multiple-sample pretreatment and eliminate manual errors. Green bio-derived solvents, γ-valerolactone and eucalyptol, derived from renewable resources and exhibiting high environmental friendliness, were used as dispersant and extractant, respectively. The eucalyptol self-separated from the samples within 5 minutes, eliminating the need for centrifuges and demulsifiers. Four greenness evaluation tools confirmed that the BDS-ADLLME was an environmentally friendly sample pretreatment method meeting the requirements of green chemistry. The linear range was 0.006–3 μg L⁻¹ with R² > 0.999. The limit of detection was 0.002 μg L⁻¹. The BDS-ADLLME method successfully detected chlorantraniliprole and flubendiamide in tap, river, lake, and spring water samples, with recoveries and relative standard deviations ranging from 83.4–107.7% and 1.7%–5.4%, respectively. The BDS-ADLLME provides a feasible approach for developing automated eco-friendly dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction methods.