Green molecularly imprinted polymers for the adsorption and enrichment of pesticides

Abstract

Pesticides are hazardous compounds widely used to prevent pests in agriculture. Detecting pesticides with high selectivity and sensitivity is crucial in food safety and environmental protection. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are innovative materials for enriching target analytes from complex matrices. The conventional procedure for preparing MIPs results in a massive solid and liquid waste generation contradicting the green chemistry concepts. To ensure environmental protection, food quality, and safety, trace-level detection of pesticide residues with MIPs is always demanded using a more economical, reliable, and greener approach. In this chapter, green MIPs strategies for pesticide recognition are comprehensively overviewed. The most common pesticides that green MIPs have prepared and the analytical methods used for their analysis are introduced. Green approaches are discussed regarding various template strategies, solvents, polymerization techniques, and magnetic MIPs.