Issue 27, 2019

Quantification of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners in wastewater by gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC-ECD)

Abstract

This paper describes a gas chromatography coupled with an electron capture detector (GC-ECD) method that was developed for screening and reliable quantification of some selected PBDE congeners (BDE 28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154, 183 and 209) in wastewater. Emphasis was placed on the ability of the method to simultaneously analyse low to high BDE congeners in a single run, whilst being comparatively cost-effective to gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) methods commonly employed today. Different solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridges (Oasis HLB, Isolute PAH, and Isolute C18) were tested for efficient analyte extraction in terms of recovery and resultant clean extracts free of unwanted compounds. Isolute PAH performed better than other SPE cartridges, and in combination with optimized GC-ECD conditions permitted satisfactory determination of PBDE congeners at trace levels (method detection limits (MDLs) of 0.6 ng L−1 to 11 ng L−1) in water samples. Method accuracy and precision were evaluated by recovery experiments using laboratory spiked water samples at two concentrations (3 ng L−1 and 10 ng L−1). The method was employed to evaluate the fate and removal of selected PBDE congeners in a conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Northern England. PBDEs were detected in influent and effluent samples at 0–113 ng L−1 and 0–18 ng L−1 respectively.

Graphical abstract: Quantification of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners in wastewater by gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC-ECD)

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
04 Feb 2019
Accepted
14 Jun 2019
First published
28 Jun 2019

Anal. Methods, 2019,11, 3474-3482

Quantification of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners in wastewater by gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC-ECD)

O. Komolafe, B. Bowler, J. Dolfing, W. Mrozik and R. J. Davenport, Anal. Methods, 2019, 11, 3474 DOI: 10.1039/C9AY00266A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements