Fast liquid chromatography–quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry for the analysis of pharmaceuticals and hormones in water resources

This paper presents the development of a fast multi-residue method for the determination of 49 pharmaceuticals and 6 metabolites from different therapeutic classes in water resources by means of Ultra-performance™ liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. The use of the UPLC technology enabled all the 55 compounds to be separated chromatographically in less than 9 min (6.3 min positive mode and 2.7 min negative mode) and with a total analysis time of 18 min when considering column conditioning. Improved resolution, sensitivity and a reduction of matrix effects were obtained under these conditions. Unequivocal identification and quantification of the target compounds was also performed by using the dual acquisition modes of the hybrid triple quadrupole-linear ion trap (QqLIT) system. Triple quadrupole mode by means of selected reaction monitoring (SRM) was used for quantification, whilst a second SRM transition together with information-dependent analysis (IDA) experiments was used for confirmation. Additionally, one general, single solid-phase extraction (SPE) method was developed by using Oasis HLB cartridges. Quality parameters of the method in wastewaters were established obtaining a fast, robust, reproducible and cost-effective method for all the target pharmaceuticals. Finally, the optimized SPE-UPLC/QqLIT method was used for the analysis of the target compounds in wastewaters from Spain. Thirty-one out of fifty-five compounds were identified in the samples collected.     

Pressurized liquid extraction of pharmaceuticals from sewage-sludge

A method for the quantitative determination of ten pharmaceuticals in sewage sludge was developed by using pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and HPLC-MS with ESI (HPLC-(ESI)MS). The PLE was optimized with regard to solvents and operational parameters, such as temperature, pressure, extraction time, and purge time. The optimum conditions were: 50 mM phosphoric acid/methanol (1:1 v/v) as the extraction solvent, temperature of 100 degrees C, pressure of 100 bar, extraction time 15 min, 2 cycles, flush volume 150% and purge time 300 s. All recoveries for pharmaceuticals were over 68% except for salicylic acid. The repetitivity and reproducibility between days expressed as RSD was lower than 8% for repetitivity and 10% for reproducibility. The LOD of all compounds was lower than 10 microg/kg of dry weight of sewage sludge. The method was applied to determine the pharmaceuticals in sewage sludge from two domestic sewage treatment plants (STPs). The samples were collected every three months between February 2004 and June 2005. Some pharmaceuticals were determined in the samples and naproxen showed the highest value (242 microg/kg of dry weight).     

Determination of pharmaceuticals from various therapeutic classes in dewatered sludge by pressurized liquid extraction and high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS)

Pharmaceuticals are released to the environment after human and animal consumption, which partly comes from accumulation in sewage sludge during wastewater treatment. This paper developed a method for the determination of N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) and 14 pharmaceuticals belonging to multiple therapeutic classes such as antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, antilipidemic, anti-hypertensive, and anticonvulsant in dewatered sludge. Pressurized liquid extraction using methanol/McIlvaine buffer (volume ratio, 1?:?1), associated with HPLC-MS/MS was proven to be effective for extraction and quantification of pharmaceuticals and DEET in dewatered sludge. Optimization procedures, including extraction method, extraction solvents and clean-up treatment, were carried out by simulating naturally aged samples to provide a more realistic extraction than previous methods, which were often done by spiking the standard solution before extraction without any aging procedures. The internal standard quantification method using six isotopically labelled compounds was applied to improve the poor absolute recoveries induced by severe matrix effects to obtain better relative recoveries (70–120%). Good relative standard deviations (lower than 19.0% for 7 repeats) and the limit of quantification (0.6–19.4?µg/kg) indicated that the developed method was reliable and sensitive to extract and quantify the studied pharmaceuticals in dewatered sludge. For samples collected from eight sewage treatment plants in Beijing, China, it was found that trimethoprim, caffeine, ketoprofen and ibuprofen were the most prominent contaminants, with the median concentrations reaching 97.6, 179.4, 268.0 and 153.0?µg/kg, respectively. The level of ketoprofen, ibuprofen, mefenamic acid, cabamazepine and diclofenac were similar to results reported from Spain, whilst the levels of other compounds were similar to those found in Germany, Canada and the US.     

Determination of pharmaceuticals in sewage sludge by pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) coupled to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)

In this study, we aimed at optimizing a sensitive and reliable method for a simultaneous determination of 31 pharmaceuticals belonging to predominant therapeutic classes identified in different types of sewage sludge proceeding from conventional and advanced wastewater treatment. Freeze-dried sewage sludge was extracted by pressurized liquid extraction technique using accelerated solvent extractor Dionex 300. In order to minimize interferences with matrix components and to preconcentrate target analytes, solid phase extraction was introduced in the method as a clean-up step. The entire method was validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, and method detection limits (MDLs). The method turned out to be specific, sensitive, and reliable for the analysis of sludge of different composition, type, and retention time in the process. The developed sample preparation protocol and previously published method for LC-MS/MS analysis (Gros et al., Talanta 70:678–690, 2006) were successfully applied to monitor the target pharmaceuticals in different types of sewage sludge, i.e., primary sludge, secondary sludge, treated sludge, and sludge proceeding from pilot-scale membrane bioreactors (MBRs) operating in parallel to the conventional activated sludge treatment. Among the investigated pharmaceuticals, 20 were detected in the sludge proceeding from full-scale installations, whereas the MBR sludge concentrations were below MDLs for several compounds. The highest concentrations were recorded for treated and primary sludge. For example, the mean concentration of ibuprofen in the digested sludge was 299.3?±?70.9 ng g^?1 dw, whereas in the primary sludge, it was enriched up to 741.1 ng g^?1 dw. Other pharmaceuticals detected at relatively high concentrations were diclofenac, erythromycin, glibenclamide, ketoprofen, ofloxacin, azithromycin (up to 380.7, 164.2, 190.7, 336.3, 454.7, 299.6 ng g^?1 dw in the primary sludge, respectively), gemfibrozil, loratidine, and fluoxetine (up to 189.1, 189.7 and 174.1 ng g^?1 dw in the treated sludge, respectively).     

Simultaneous determination of fluoroquinolones,sulfonamides and tetracyclines in sewage sludge by pressurized liquid extraction and liquid chromatography electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry

A new scheme for the quantitative determination of traces of fluoroquinolones (FQs), tetracyclines (TCs) and sulfonamides (SAs) in sewage sludge was developed. The compounds were simultaneously extracted from sewage sludge by pressurized liquid extraction (PLE). A novel and effective method for PLE was developed. Solid-phase extraction was used for cleaning up the extracts. Identification and quantification of the compounds was done using high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry in selected reaction monitoring mode. The best recovery of FQs and TCs was obtained by using hydrophilic–lipophilic balance cartridges, recoveries ranged 59% for norfloxacin to 82% for ofloxacin and 95% for doxycycline; for SAs strong cation-exchange cartridges were more efficient, recoveries were 96% for sulfamethoxazole and 43% for sulfadimethoxine. Limit of quantification ranged from 0.1 ng/g for SAs to 160 ng/g for tetracycline. Method precision for TCs was 5.06% and 1.12%, and for SAs 0.43% and 2.01%. FQs precision ranged from 0.77% to 1.89%.     

Simultaneous determination of acidic,neutral and basic pharmaceuticals in urban wastewater by ultra high-pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

In this work, an ultra high-pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method has been developed for the simultaneous quantification and confirmation of the 20 most consumed pharmaceuticals in Spain in urban wastewater and surface water samples. The scope of the method included acidic, neutral and basic compounds belonging to different therapeutic classes and allows their simultaneous determination in just a single injection, giving realistic information of the most widely consumed pharmaceuticals in only one analysis. An enrichment step based on solid-phase extraction using Oasis HLB cartridges was carried out, followed by UHPLC-MS/MS measurement with a fast-acquisition triple quadrupole mass analyzer. It allowed working with short dwell times and made possible to acquire three simultaneous SRM transitions per compound to assure a reliable identification. Several isotope-labelled internal standards were used as surrogates to correct SPE losses, as well as matrix effects that notably affect quantification of analytes. The method was validated in surface water and effluent and influent urban wastewater at different concentrations from 0.005 μg/L (surface water) to 1.25 μg/L (influent wastewater). The optimized method was applied to the analysis of 84 urban wastewater samples (influent and effluent), with the result that 17 out of 20 compounds monitored were detected in the samples. Analgesics and anti-inflamatories, cholesterol lowering statin drugs and lipid regulators were the major groups found, with diclofenac, ketoprofen, naproxen, 4-aminoantipyrine, bezafibrate, gemfibrozil and venlafaxine being the most frequently detected. The highest concentration level reached was 277 μg/L for salicylic acid in influent wastewater.     

Simultaneous determination of tetrabromobisphenol A, tetrachlorobisphenol A, bisphenol A and other halogenated analogues in sediment and sludge by high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

A high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray (negative) ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI(-)-MS-MS) based method has been developed for simultaneous determination of bisphenol A (BPA), tetrachlorobisphenol A (TCBPA), and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), as well as lower brominated BPA analogues in sediment and sludge samples. Samples were extracted with MTBE, target compounds were partitioned by aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide. The solution was subsequently acidified, and the enrichment and desalting were performed via solid phase extraction (SPE). After cleanup the target compounds were determined by HPLC-ESI(-)-MS-MS. The method limits of quantification (MLOQs) from sediment and sludge for BPA, monobromo-bisphenol A (mono-BBPA), dibromo-bisphenol A (di-BBPA), tribromo-bisphenol A (tri-BBPA), TBBPA and TCBPA were 0.15, 0.02, 0.02, 0.04, 0.05, and 0.03 ng/g (dry weight), respectively. Mean recovery of the analytes from spiked samples ranged from 70 to 105%, and the relative standard deviation ranged from 4.9 to 13.1%. The method was successfully applied to sediment and sludge samples analysis.     

Analysis of perfluorinated compounds in sewage sludge by pressurized solvent extraction followed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are widely used in everyday life and one of the main recipients of these compounds is waste water treatment plants (WWTPs). Due to the structure and physicochemical properties of PFCs, these compounds could be redistributed from influent water to sludge. This work reports a new validated protocol for the analysis of 13 perfluorinated acids, 4 perfluorosulfonates and the perfluorooctanesulfonamide. The present work has been focused to develop a sensitive and robust method for the analysis of 18 PFCs in sewage sludge, based on pressurized solvent extraction (PSE) followed by solid phase extraction (SPE) clean-up, analytes separation by liquid chromatography and analysis in a hybrid quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometer (LC-QLiT-MS/MS) working in single reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. The final methodology was validated using a blank sewage sludge fortified at different concentration levels. The method limits of detection were ranging in general from 15 to 79 ng/kg. These values were comparable to the decision limit (CCα) and the detection capability (CCβ), which were 17-1134 ng/kg and 18-1347 ng/kg, respectively. The percentage of recovery was from 79 to 111% in the most cases at different spiked levels. Finally, the repeatability of the method was in the range 4% (PFOS and PFOA) to 25% (RSD %). In order to evaluate the applicability of the method, 5 sludge samples were analyzed. The results showed that the 18 PFCs were present in all samples. However, the concentrations for most of them were below the limits of quantification. The compound present at higher concentrations was perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), which was in concentrations from 53.0 to 121.1 μg/kg. The other PFCs were at concentrations between 0.3 and 30.3 μg/kg.     

Pressurized liquid extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography for determination of seven active compounds in Cortex Dictamni

A new method based on pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) followed by a sensitive and specific HPLC-DAD analysis is developed for determination of seven compounds in Cortex Dictamni. The operational parameters of PLE, such as extraction solvent, extraction temperature, extraction pressure, static extraction time, flush volume and extraction cycles were optimized, using the extraction efficiencies of dictamnine, obacunone and fraxinellone as targets. The optimized procedure employed MeOH as extraction solvent, 150 degrees C of extraction temperature, 1,500 psi extraction pressure, 5 min of static extraction time, 60% flush volume and the extraction recoveries of the three compounds were nearly to 100% for only one cycle. The following HPLC analysis was performed on a reversed-phase C(18) column with methanol-water as mobile phase in gradient manner, detected at 236 and 218 nm. The limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) of the seven compounds were in the range of 0.4-15.6 ng and 1.2-38.8 ng. This assay can be readily utilized as a quality control method for Cortex Dictamni and other related medicinal plants.     

Simultaneous multi-residue pesticide analysis in soil samples with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry using QuEChERS and pressurised liquid extraction methods

To assess soil contamination, it is important to be able to measure different classes of pesticides simultaneously. For this reason we developed a sensitive ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous analysis of 25 pesticides in soil samples. Multi-class pesticides (triazines, phenylureas, phenoxy acid pesticides etc.) were analysed using a single mass spectrometry method with a fast polarity switching option, allowing the analysis of 19 compounds in the positive ionisation mode and six compounds in the negative ionisation mode. Extraction of pesticides from soil samples was performed employing a pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) and a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) procedure, recently developed for the extraction of multi-residue pesticides from food matrices. The extraction efficiency, performance and recoveries of these two procedures were evaluated and compared. In addition, we studied the effect of matrix on signal suppression or enhancement. Isotope-labelled internal standards (ILIS) were used to compensate the suppression or enhancement of signal intensities in the extracted samples. The method was validated using reference soil material (EUROSOIL 7) spiked with 50 μg/kg of each pesticide. The average recovery by PLE varied between 65.1% and 122.2% with RSDs of 1.7–23.4%. QuEChERS provided better recoveries for most of the pesticides, the extraction recovery ranging from 79.4% to 113.3% with RSDs of 1.0–12.2%. Limits of quantification for all target compounds were within a range of 0.1–2.9 µg/kg.     

Simplified procedures for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water, sediments and mussels

We describe in this paper simple and robust analytical protocols to determine the 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) of the US Environmental Protection Agency priority list in water, sediment and mussels. For water samples, eight different solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbents have been compared and among them, C18 provided highest recoveries and limits of detection of 0.3-15 ng/L. For lyophilized sediments, Soxhlet and ultrasonic extraction were compared, and the last one permitted to recover all analytes with highest repetitivity and was validated by analysing a certified reference material. Finally, the analysis of mussels was undertaken using Soxhlet, ultrasonic and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and the performance of several clean-up steps are compared. Whereas for the former two, incomplete recovery or losses of some analytes were evidenced, PLE permitted a more efficient extraction and although alkaline digestion was necessary to remove coextracted compounds, the method gave acceptable recoveries and limits of detection of 0.5-7.7 microg/kg dry mass, as for sediments. In all cases, analysis was performed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and internal standard quantification was performed using five deuterated PAHs. Each method performance is discussed for the three matrices analysed and the paper reports advantages and disadvantages of each for their routine application in monitoring programs.     

Rapid quantification of four major bioactive alkaloids in Corydalis decumbens (Thunb.) Pers. by pressurised liquid extraction combined with liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry

A new method based on pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) followed by liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-QTrap-MS) analysis has been developed for the identification and quantification of four major alkaloids in extracts of Corydalis decumbens (Thunb.) Pers. PLE extractions were performed using 90% ethanol; temperature was set at 100 °C and pressure at 1500 psi. HPLC analysis was performed on a Waters XBridge™ C₁₈ column (150 mm × 2.1 mm i.d., 3.5 μm) eluted by a mobile phase of acetonitrile and 0.2% acetic acid. Data acquisition was carried out in multiple reaction monitoring transitions (MRMs) mode, monitoring two MRM transitions to ensure an accurate identification of target compounds in the samples. Additional identification and confirmation of target compounds were performed using the enhanced product ion modus (EPI) of the linear ion trap. The novel LC-QTrap-MS platform offers the best sensitivity and specificity for characterization and quantitative determination of the four alkaloids in C. decumbens (Thunb.) Pers. and fulfils the quality criteria for routine laboratory application.     

Simultaneous determination of hexabromocyclododecane, tetrabromobisphenol A, and related compounds in sewage sludge and sediment samples from Ebro River basin (Spain)

This paper describes the development of a methodology for the simultaneous determination and quantification of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), and related compounds (bisphenol A, monobromobisphenol A, dibromobisphenol A, and tribromobisphenol A) in sludge and sediment samples. The selected method is based on an extraction with dichloromethane: methanol followed by purification via SPE C₁₈ cartridges. Instrumental determination was carried out by liquid chromatography–quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-QqLIT-MS), with quantification based on isotopic dilution method. Analyte recoveries were in the range of 39–120% and 88–126% for spiked sewage and sediment, respectively. Repeatability of replicate extractions was better than 13% relative standard deviation. Linearity was checked in the range of 0.05 and 25 injected nanograms. Limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) were in the range of 0.6 and 2.7 ng/g and 1.4 and 66 ng/g for sediment and sludge samples, respectively. The developed method was applied to sewage sludge and sediment samples collected along the Ebro River and Cinca River, one of its tributaries (northeast of Spain). TBBPA levels in sewage sludge ranged from not quantified to 1,329 ng/g dw, whereas levels in sediment samples were lower, between not detected and 15 ng/g dw. As regards HBCD, concentrations were between not detected and 375 ng/g for sludge samples and 0.8 and 1850 ng/g for sediments.     

Selective pressurized liquid extraction of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in fish

A fast and simple method for the analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in fish samples was developed using a one-step extraction and clean-up by means of pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) combined with gas chromatography-ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (GC-ITMS-MS). The selective PLE method provided to obtain ready-to-analyse extracts without any additional clean-up step, using a sorbent as fat retainer inside the PLE cell. Several PLE operating conditions, such as solvent type, extraction temperature and time, number of cycles and type of fat retainer, were studied. Using Florisil as fat retainer, maximum recoveries of PBDEs (83-108%) with minimum presence of matrix-interfering compounds were obtained using a mixture of n-hexane:dichloromethane 90:10 (v/v) as solvent, an extraction temperature of 100 °C and a static extraction time of 5 min in combination with three static cycles. Quality parameters of the method were established using standards and fish samples. Limits of detection and quantification ranged from 10 to 34 pg g⁻¹ wet weight and between 34 and 68 pg g⁻¹ wet weight, respectively. In addition, good linearity (between 1 and 500 ng ml⁻¹) and high precision (RSD % < 15%) were achieved. The method was validated using the standard reference material SRM-1945 (whale blubber) and was then applied to the analysis of PBDEs in fish samples.     

Determination of pharmaceuticals in biosolids using accelerated solvent extraction and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

An analytical method was developed to quantitatively determine pharmaceuticals in biosolid (treated sewage sludge) from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The collected biosolid samples were initially freeze dried, and grounded to obtain relatively homogenized powders. Pharmaceuticals were extracted using accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) under the optimized conditions. The optimal operation parameters, including extraction solvent, temperature, pressure, extraction time and cycles, were identified to be acetonitrile/water mixture (v/v 7:3) as extraction solvent with 3 extraction cycles (15 min for each cycle) at 100 °C and 100 bars. The extracts were cleaned up using solid-phase extraction followed by determination by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. For the 15 target pharmaceuticals commonly found in the environment, the overall method recoveries ranged from 49% to 68% for tetracyclines, 64% to 95% for sulfonamides, and 77% to 88% for other pharmaceuticals (i.e. acetaminophen, caffeine, carbamazepine, erythromycin, lincomycin and tylosin). The developed method was successfully validated and applied to the biosolid samples collected from WWTPs located in six cities in Michigan. Among the 15 target pharmaceuticals, 14 pharmaceuticals were detected in the collected biosolid samples. The average concentrations ranged from 2.6 μg/kg for lincomycin to 743.6 μg/kg for oxytetracycline. These results indicated that pharmaceuticals could survive wastewater treatment processes, and accumulate in sewage sludge and biosolids. Subsequent land application of the contaminated biosolids could lead to the dissemination of pharmaceuticals in soil and water environment, which poses potential threats to at-risk populations in the receiving ecosystems.     

Determination of pharmaceuticals,steroid hormones,and endocrine-disrupting personal care products in sewage sludge by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive method has been developed and validated for the determination of diverse groups of pharmaceuticals, steroid hormones, and hormone-like personal care products in sewage sludge. Samples were extracted by ultrasonic-assisted extraction followed by solid-phase extraction cleanup. For determination of estrogens and hormone-like phenolic compounds, sample extracts were further derivatized with dansyl chloride and purified with silica gel column chromatography to improve the analytical sensitivity. The chemicals were determined by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) in multiple-reaction monitoring mode. Recoveries ranged mostly from 63% to 119% with relative standard deviations within 15%. Method quantification limits were 0.1–3 ng g⁻¹ dry weight (dw) for sewage sludge. The method was applied to a preliminary investigation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in sewage sludge and sediment in the Pearl River Delta, South China. Triclosan, triclocarban, 2-phenylphenol, bisphenol A, and parabens were ubiquitously detected at 3.6–5088.2 ng g⁻¹ dw in sludge and 0.29–113.1 ng g⁻¹ dw in sediment samples, respectively. Estrone, carbamazepine, metoprolol, and propranolol were also frequently quantified in the sludge and sediment samples. The dewatering process caused no significant losses of these PPCPs in sewage sludge.     

Qualitative and quantitative determination of nucleosides, bases and their analogues in natural and cultured Cordyceps by pressurized liquid extraction and high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS)

A simple and rapid pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method was developed for qualitative and quantitative determination of nucleosides, bases and their analogues in natural and cultured Cordyceps. The samples were extracted using PLE. The separation was achieved on a ZORBAX Eclipse XDB-C₁₈ column with gradient elution of methanol and 5 mM aqueous ammonium acetate as mobile phase. Target compounds were identified by characterizing their product ions, precursor ions and retention times. Quantitative analysis of investigated compounds were performed using time programmed selective ion monitoring (SIM) or selective reaction monitoring (SRM) with 10 segments in positive (negative for uridine) ion mode. The results showed that 43 bases, nucleosides and their analogues were detected in Cordyceps, of these 16 compounds were identified. The simultaneous determination of seven nucleosides and six bases in Cordyceps was achieved using PLE and HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method described above, which afforded good linearity, selectivity, precision, recovery, short analysis time as well as LOD and LOQ in the ng/ml range.     

Hollow fiber liquid phase microextraction as a preconcentration and clean-up step after pressurized hot water extraction for the determination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in sewage sludge

A method for the quantitative determination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in sewage sludge was developed and validated. The target compounds were extracted using pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE) and then purified and preconcentrated by three-phase hollow fiber liquid phase microextraction (HF-LPME) followed by LC–ESI-MS analysis. The PHWE was optimized with regard to the pH of solvent as well as other operational parameters. The optimum conditions were 0.01 M NaOH as the extraction solvent, temperature of 120 °C, pressure of 100 bar, static time 5 min, 5 cycles, flush volume 90% and purge time 60 s. Spike recoveries for sludge samples spiked at 200 ng g⁻¹ were in the range of 101–109% but for the native drugs in non-spiked sludge samples, recoveries were 38.9%, 59.8%, 90.3% and 47.8% for ketoprofen, naproxen, diclofenac and ibuprofen, respectively. Donor phase pH, ionic strength and extraction time were optimized for HF-LPME after PHWE. The optimum conditions were 2 h extraction at pH 1.5 without salt addition. Enrichment factors in the range of 947–1213 times were achieved (extraction recoveries were 23.6–30.3%) for HF-LPME after PHWE. The matrix effect on the ionization of drugs in LC–ESI-MS was also investigated. The results show that there is a smaller matrix effect (−8.9% to +14.6%) in comparison with other published values obtained using solid phase extraction (SPE) for clean-up after pressurized liquid extraction (PLE). Method detection limits (MDLs) and method quantification limits (MQLs) for different drugs were in the range of 0.4–3.7 ng g⁻¹ and 1.5–12.2 ng g⁻¹ in dried sludge samples, respectively. The characteristics of the proposed method were compared with those of other published works. The considerably lower ion suppression/enhancement and minimum use of organic solvents (a few microliters of di-n-hexyl ether) in the sample preparation step are two highlighted advantages of the proposed method in comparison with previously published works. The method was applied to determine NSAIDs in sewage sludge from Källby wastewater treatment plant (Lund, Sweden) in April, June, August and October 2010. The highest concentration level was recorded for ibuprofen in the April sewage sludge sample (588 ng g⁻¹) and all of the selected NSAIDs were detected in all the samples analyzed.     

Determination of fluorinated surfactants and their metabolites in sewage sludge samples by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry after pressurised liquid extraction and separation on fluorine-modified reversed-phase sorbents

An analytical method was elaborated for simultaneous extraction and determination of fluorinated anionic and non-ionic surfactants in sewage sludge. Surfactant compounds were determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) after Soxhlet extraction, hot steam extraction and pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) using spiked sludge samples. PLE in a multiple-step procedure consisting of sequential use of ethyl acetate-dimethylformamide and methanol-phosphoric acid resulted in the most efficient extraction procedure. Quantitative analyses of the fluorinated anionic perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and the partly fluorinated non-ionic alkylpolyglycol ether (FAEO) surfactants were performed by selected ion monitoring LC-MS. Electrospray ionisation or atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation in negative or positive mode was performed. Recoveries between 105 and 120% could be reached. No PFOS and non-ionic FAEO surfactants in concentrations higher than 6 or 10 mg kg(-1) dry matter were observed in real environmental samples. Therefore aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation was performed to investigate the fate of fluorinated surfactants reaching wastewaters. Biological wastewater treatment in laboratory scale under aerobic or anaerobic conditions led to an elimination by biodegradation.