Determination of 19 volatile organic compounds in wastewater effluents from different treatments by purge and trap followed by gas-chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry

• Published in: Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry Vol. 400; no. 10; pp. 3537 - 3546
• Main Authors: Barco-Bonilla, Nieves, Plaza-Bolaños, Patricia, Fernández-Moreno, José Luis, Romero-González, Roberto, Frenich, Antonia Garrido, Vidal, José Luis Martínez
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01-07-2011; Springer
• Subjects: Analysis; Analysis methods; Analytical Chemistry; Applied sciences; Biochemistry; Calibration; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chromatographic methods and physical methods associated with chromatography; Chromatography; Effluents; Exact sciences and technology; Food Science; Gas chromatographic methods; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry - methods; Global environmental pollution; Laboratory Medicine; Limit of Detection; Mass spectrometry; Methods; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Natural water pollution; Organic compounds; Original Paper; Photochemical smog; Pollution; Solvents - analysis; Spectrometric and optical methods; Toluene; Volatile organic compounds; Volatile Organic Compounds - analysis; Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods; Waste water; Wastewater treatment; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water treatment and pollution; Volatile organic compounds; GC-MS; Matrix effect; Wastewater; Purge and trap; Quadrupole spectrometer; Waste water; Detection limit; Solvent; Filtration; Chloroform; Sample; Toluene; Volatile organic compound; Concentration; Calibration; Method; Gas chromatography; Suspended particle; Treatment; Aerosols; Environment; Parameter; Waste water purification; Mass spectrometry; Effluent
• ISSN: 1618-2642; 1618-2650
• DOI: 10.1007/s00216-011-5014-3

A rapid and simple methodology based on purge and trap with gas-chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry has been developed for the analysis of 19 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in wastewater (WW) effluents from four different treatments. The determination was carried out in the raw WW effluents, which were not submitted to any pre-treatment (e.g., filtration). A matrix effect study was also performed, concluding that solvent calibration was adequate to quantify VOCs in WW effluent samples containing a variety of suspended particulate matter. Adequate validation parameters were obtained with recovery values in the range 73–124% and precision values lower than 24%. Limits of quantification were established at 0.1 μg L
-1
for all VOCs. The proposed method was applied to the analysis of WW samples, detecting chloroform and toluene at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 4.80 μg L
-1
.