A magnetic solid phase extraction based on DES/ZIF-MGO coupled with UPLC-MS/MS for the simultaneous detection and consumption evaluation of four illicit drugs

The social and environment effects of illicit drug abuse are a growing global concern. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has become a common monitoring tool for assessing drug consumption. In this study, mechanical carrier (MGO), skeletal framework (ZIF-67) and functional modification (DES) were together prepared a three-dimensional nanocomposite (DES/ZIF-MGO) as an adsorbent, and developed an ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method coupled with optimal MSPE for the determination of ultra-trace illicit drugs in wastewater. The method exhibited good linearity (R2 ≥ 0.9985) with low limit of detection (0.02–1.55 μg/L) and qualified recovery (92.1–100.9 %) for four illicit drugs (AM, METH, MDMA and MC). The characterization results showed that electrostatic, hydrogen bond, and π-π interaction contributed to the adsorption process. The drug consumption in a city was investigated using WBE. MC was not detected in any of the wastewater samples. The detection rates of METH and MDMA were 100 % and 82 %, respectively, while AM was found in about 18 % of the wastewater samples. Thus, based on advantages of the DES/ZIF-MGO nanocomposite, the proposed method is a rapid, sensitive and reliable method for the determination of trace illicit drugs in wastewater.