Construction of porous adsorbent for selective enrichment of cis-diol-containing flavonoids and evaluation of green performance based on life cycle analysis.

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Flavonoids exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antibacterial and anti-aging properties. However, their complex structures make the separation and purification of flavonoids pharmacologically significant. The study employed a one-pot synthesis method to prepare the adsorbent (Pectin/Carboxymethyl starch sodium/Polyethylenimine/4-Formylphenylboronic acid, PCPF), using pectin, sodium carboxymethyl starch, polyethyleneimine and 4-formylbenzeneboronic acid as raw materials. Under the same adsorption conditions, the adsorption capacity of PCPF reached 40.87 mg/g, which was significantly higher than those of the commercial macroporous resins AB-8 (33.56 mg/g), HPD100 (34.19 mg/g) and HP20 (34.42 mg/g). PCPF selectively adsorbed flavonoids containing cis-diol structures (quercetin, rutin and luteolin). At 318.15 K, its maximum adsorption capacity for quercetin reached 214.93 mg/g. The content of quercetin in Cordyceps militaris was significantly enhanced by 20.49-fold through the use of this adsorbent for enrichment. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy further confirmed that the adsorption mechanism primarily resulted from cyclization reactions between boronic acid groups and flavonoids containing cis-diol structures at pH 8, along with π-π interactions, hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding. Furthermore, this adsorbent demonstrated excellent recyclability, with adsorption capacity decreasing by only 5 mg/g after five cycles. Finally, Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) comparing PCPF with conventional macroporous resin adsorbents across seven evaluation metrics (abiotic depletion, abiotic depletion (fossil fuels), acidification, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, global warming (GWP 100 a), human toxicity and marine aquatic ecotoxicity) confirmed PCPF as the more environmentally sustainable choice. In summary, PCPF held significant potential as an adsorbent for flavonoid compounds containing cis-diol structures.