Evaluation of the QuEChERS method for the extraction of pharmaceuticals and personal care products from drinking-water treatment sludge with determination by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2014-07, Vol.107, p.74-82
• Main Authors: Cerqueira, Maristela B.R., Guilherme, Juliana R., Caldas, Sergiane S., Martins, Manoel L., Zanella, Renato, Primel, Ednei G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis methods; Analytical chemistry; Applied sciences; Chemical Fractionation - methods; Chemistry; Chromatographic methods and physical methods associated with chromatography; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Cosmetics - analysis; Cosmetics - isolation & purification; Drinking Water - chemistry; Drinking-water sludge samples; Exact sciences and technology; Other chromatographic methods; Other industrial wastes. Sewage sludge; Pharmaceutical Preparations - analysis; Pharmaceutical Preparations - isolation & purification; Pollution; PPCPs; QuEChERS; Safety; Sewage - chemistry; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; UPLC-MS/MS; Wastes; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - isolation & purification; Water Purification - economics; Water Purification - methods
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.03.026

•A method for the determination of 27 compounds in drinking-water treatment sludge was evaluated.•A QuEChERS method and UPCL-ESI-MS/MS parameters were optimized.•QuEChERS method provides clean extracts with few matrix effects.•The method was successfully applied to determination of the analytes in real samples.•Caffeine and benzophenone-3 were detected in ngg−1 levels. A modified version of the QuEChERS method has been evaluated for the determination of 21 pharmaceuticals and 6 personal care products (PPCPs) in drinking-water sludge samples by employing ultra high liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The performance of the method was evaluated through linearity, recovery, precision (intra-day), method detection and quantification limits (MDL and MQL) and matrix effect. The calibration curves prepared in acetonitrile and in the matrix extract showed a correlation coefficient ranging from 0.98 to 0.99. MQLs values were on the ngg−1 order of magnitude for most compounds. Recoveries between 50% and 93% were reached with RSDs lower than 10% for most compounds. Matrix effect was almost absent with values lower than 16% for 93% of the compounds. By coupling a quick and simple extraction called QuEChERS with the UPLC-MS/MS analysis, a method that is both selective and sensitive was obtained. This methodology was successfully applied to real samples and caffeine and benzophenone-3 were detected in ngg−1 levels.