Extraction of male steroids and progesterone from water by vegetable oil gels and their determination by partial filling capillary micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Microemulsion gels were synthetized from macadamia, linseed, olive, walnut, rapeseed, sesame, and coconut oils and frying oil made from sunflower, palm, and rapeseed oils. The gels were similar as polyacrylamide–based gels with exception of replacing dodecyl sulfate with vegetable oils. The gels were modified with celluloses, cotton, or lignin to make the emulsions sustainable for water purification. They were used to compare sorption properties when they were used as solid‐phase adsorbents in isolation of steroids from water. Hydrophobicity features of the gels were compared by detecting adsorption and extraction efficiency of nonpolar androstenedione, testosterone, and progesterone, which exist in wastewater and drinking water. Quantification was done with partial filling–micellar electrokinetic chromatography with 29.5 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate–3.4 mM sodium taurocholate as the micelle and 20 mM ammonium acetate (pH 9.68) as the electrolyte. UV‐detection was used. Methanol was the best eluent for extraction of steroids from gels. The highest recoveries were from frying oil and rapeseed oil gels modified with celluloses. They also possessed the best floating properties on water surface. Lignin modified gels were too hydrophilic, when in touch with water they filled up with water. They also had the lowest capacity.