Issue |
Analusis
Volume 28, Number 6, July/August 2000
Nitric oxide and superoxide in biological systems
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 535 - 542 | |
Section | Original articles | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/analusis:2000167 |
DOI: 10.1051/analusis:2000167
Determination of nonionic polyethoxylate surfactants in wastewater and sludge samples of sewage treatment plants by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry
S. Chiron, E. Sauvard and R. JeannotBRGM, Service analyse et caractérisation minérale, BP 6009, 45060 Orléans
(Received March 21, 2000; revised May 31, 2000; accepted June 6, 2000.)
Abstract
An analytical method is proposed in order to determine the major nonionic surfactants,
octylphenolpolyethoxylates (OPEOs), nonylphenolpolyethoxylates (NPEOs) and aliphatic
alcoholpolyethoxylates (AEOs), and their metabolites, nonylphenol and octylphenol in
wastewater and sludge samples of sewage treatment plants. This method involved a
Soxtec extraction step and a solid phase extraction step for the nonionic surfactant
extraction from sludge and wastewater samples, respectively. With both methodologies,
all recovery values were higher than 70%. Quantitation and identification of individual
compound were carried out by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) using
electrospray (ESP) as ionization mode. Reverse phase LC chromatography allowed the
elution of all oligomer constituents of each homolog component into a single peak.
Gathering all the oligomers into a single peak increased the peak intensity and
provided a way to determine low concentration of APEOs and AEOs in different
environmental matrices. Information on the oligomers distribution of APEOs and AEOs
could be obtained by the extraction of selected m/z ions from the TIC chromatograms.
Positive ESP LC/MS analyses of AEOs and APEOs yielded primary pseudo-molecular ions
of the [M + Na]+ type for each oligomer. The negative ionization mode allowed the
determination of the two metabolites, nonylphenol and octylphenol, characterized by
the pseudo molecular [M-H]- ion. Limits of detection achieved were 0.1 g/L in
wastewater sample and 10 ng/g in sludge samples. The developed LC-ESP/MS method
was applied to the analysis of wastewater and sludge samples of two sewage treatment
plants located in Orléans (France).
Key words: Nonionic surfactants -- alcohol polyethoxylates -- nonylphenol polyethoxylates -- octylphenol polyethoxylates -- sludge -- wastewater -- LC/MS.
© EDP Sciences, Wiley-VCH 2000