Toward a Green Sample Preparation of Marine Sediments Using Modified Coffee Brewing Systems

Marine sediments represent valuable natural archives for evaluating anthropogenic impacts on aquatic ecosystems, as a wide range of contaminants, including emerging contaminants, can accumulate within the sediment matrix and, under certain environmental conditions, be remobilized into the overlying water column [1]. Their persistent or pseudo-persistent nature and their potential ecotoxicity have attracted considerable scientific concern [1]. Conventional analytical workflows for the extraction of contaminants from sediments typically rely on established techniques such as ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). Although these approaches are effective, they often involve substantial solvent consumption and limited flexibility in tuning extraction parameters, reducing their sustainability and operational adaptability. These limitations have stimulated the search for alternative strategies. In this context, devices originally designed for domestic applications can be repurposed for analytical applications. Coffee brewing systems operate through solid-liquid-vapor interactions at elevated temperatures and moderate pressures, enabling efficient analyte transfer from solid matrices. However, since traditional Moka-pots provide limited control over critical operational variables this study investigates the use of Kamira, a modified Moka-like extraction system which allows improved regulation of extraction parameters [2]. The Kamira system demonstrated superior extraction performance on spiked Antarctic marine sediments compared to a simple Moka-pot and UAE, and was therefore selected for further optimisation. A mixture-process and a central composite design were used to optimise extraction parameters (acid concentration, solvent volume and type). Finally, the procedure was applied to environmental Antarctic sediments. Overall, the results highlight the potential of repurposed domestic technologies as cost-effective, rapid and environmentally conscious tools for sample preparation.