Multi-Faceted Assessment of Liquid Chromatographic Methods for the Analysis of Sulfonamides in Environmental Waters (2020–2026): Towards Greener and More Sustainable Approaches

Background/Objectives: Sulfonamides are widely used antibiotics that frequently occur as emerging contaminants in environmental waters, raising concerns about their ecological and public health impacts. Although numerous chromatographic methods have been reported for their determination, systematic evaluation of their environmental sustainability, practicality, and innovation remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to perform a comprehensive multi-criteria assessment of liquid chromatographic methods for sulfonamide determination in environmental waters to support informed method selection and guide the development of greener, more practical, and innovative analytical approaches. Methods: Twelve reported liquid chromatographic methods were selected and assessed using five complementary assessment tools: the Analytical GREEnness Metric (AGREE) and Modified Green Analytical Procedure Index (MoGAPI) for environmental sustainability; the Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI) and Click Analytical Chemistry Index (CACI) for practicality; and the Innovative Method Orange Gradient Index (IMOGI) for methodological innovation. Results: The evaluated methods showed considerable variation across the three assessed dimensions of environmental sustainability, practicality, and methodological innovation. Some methods showed favorable characteristics in specific dimensions, while others incorporated different combinations of environmental sustainability, practicality, and innovation features. Conclusions: The use of complementary assessment tools provides a multidimensional view of environmental sustainability, practicality, and methodological innovation without combining scores into a composite measure or formal ranking. The findings highlight opportunities to improve liquid chromatographic methods for sulfonamide determination through more sustainable sample preparation, practical workflows, and methodological innovation.