A Comprehensive Assessment of Sample Preparation Methods for the Determination of UV Filters in Water by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry: Greenness, Blueness, and Whiteness Quantification Using the AGREEprep, BAGI, and RGB 12 Tools

Sample preparation is a key step in the analytical procedure. This step is a time- and labor-consuming process, and often it is also expensive, with costs being influenced by the consumption of materials and reagents. Additionally, the toxicity of the reagents, waste generation, and energy consumption affect the environment and the safety of the analyst. New trends in sample preparation are focused on the development of miniaturized methods that are consistent with the principles of green sample preparation and contribute to environmental sustainability. The results of a comprehensive assessment of ten methods of preparing water samples for the determination of UV filters using gas chromatography are presented. Three assessment tools were used for this purpose: AGREEprep (the analytical greenness metric for sample preparation), BAGI (the blue applicability grade index), and the RGB 12 algorithm (red–green–blue model). All the differences and similarities between the three aforementioned metrics are discussed in this manuscript. The results of the evaluation of the most frequently used microextraction methods show their ecological friendliness, effectiveness, and practicality. The results of this assessment will allow researchers to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the given methods and select those that meet their requirements.