Routine analysis of alcohol and nonylphenol polyethoxylates in wastewater and sludge using liquid chromatography-electro spray mass spectrometry

A wide range of alcohol and nonylphenol polyethoxylates was determined by s eparation on a reversed-phase liquid chromatographic column, followed by el ectrospray ionisation-mass spectral analysis. The compounds were separated chromatographically according to their aliphatic chain length. The mass spe ctral analysis functioned as a second separation step during which homologu es of the ethoxylates were separated according to their polyethoxylate chai n length. In this mariner a truly orthogonal separation was obtained. The c ompounds were detected as ammonium complexes. The analysis presented is cap able of qualitative and quantitative determination of a large number of eth oxylates as well as their metabolites in a single run. The method was appli ed to many different sample types, ranging from primary and treated wastewa ter to sludge. Batches of 50 real samples were routinely analysed without t he need for cleaning the mass spectrometer or regeneration of the column. B y utilising the extracted mass chromatograms, detection limits of 1 to 10 m ug/l could be obtained for individual compounds in water samples, while the detection limits were around-100 mug/kg in sludge, depending on the degree of pollution. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.