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Development and validation of a simultaneous method for the analysis of benzothiazoles and organic ultraviolet filters in various environmental matrices by GC–MS/MS

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Abstract

The presence of benzothiazoles (BTHs) and organic ultraviolet filters (UV filters) in aquatic ecosystems has emerged as a significant environmental issue, requiring urgent and efficient determination methods. A new, rapid, and sensitive determination method using gas chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (GC–MS/MS) was developed for the simultaneous extraction and analysis of 10 commonly used BTHs and 10 organic UV filters in surface water, wastewater, sediment, and sludge. For aqueous samples, solid-phase extraction (SPE) method was employed with optimizing of SPE cartridge type, pH, and elution solvent. For solid samples, ultrasonic extraction-solid-phase extraction purification (UE-SPE) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) methods were compared. And extraction conditions for ultrasonic extraction method (extraction solvents and extraction times) and PLE method (extraction temperatures and extraction cycles) were optimized. The limits of quantification for the 20 target compounds in surface water and wastewater were 0.01–2.12 ng/L and 0.05–6.14 ng/L, while those for sediment and sludge with UE-SPE method were 0.04–5.88 ng/g and 0.22–6.61 ng/g, respectively. Among the 20 target compounds, the recoveries ranged from 70 to 130% were obtained for 16, 15, 15, and 15 analytes in the matrix-spiked samples of surface water, wastewater, sediment, and sludge with three levels, respectively. And the precision was also acceptable with relative standard deviation (RSD) below 20% for all analytes. The developed methods were applied for the determination and quantification of target compounds in surface water, sediment, wastewater, and sludge samples collected from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and the Pearl River in Guangzhou, China. BTHs were frequently detected in surface water and wastewater, while UV filters were mainly found in sediment and sludge. Benzotriazole (BT) and 2-hydroxybenzothiazole (2-OH-BTH) were the two major BTHs in influent wastewater and surface water, respectively, with concentrations up to 966 and 189 ng/L. As for sediment and sludge, 2-(2′-hydroxy-5′-octylphenyl)-benzotriazole (UV-329) was a predominant chemical, detected at concentrations of 111 and 151 ng/g, respectively.

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Funding

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 41877359), Guangdong Natural Science Foundation (2020A1515010448), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety (2019B030301008), and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2021M701272).

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Author notes

  1. Qian Xiong and Dan Wu contributed equally to this work and should share the first co-author.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Qian Xiong, Dan Wu, Yu-Xiao Cheng, Li-Xin Hu, Quan-Le Chen, Heng-Yu Wu, Yue-Hong Sun, You-Sheng Liu & Guang-Guo Ying

  2. School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Qian Xiong, Dan Wu, Yu-Xiao Cheng, Li-Xin Hu, Quan-Le Chen, Heng-Yu Wu, Yue-Hong Sun, You-Sheng Liu & Guang-Guo Ying

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  1. Qian Xiong
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Correspondence to You-Sheng Liu.

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Xiong, Q., Wu, D., Cheng, YX. et al. Development and validation of a simultaneous method for the analysis of benzothiazoles and organic ultraviolet filters in various environmental matrices by GC–MS/MS. Anal Bioanal Chem 414, 6541–6555 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-022-04212-2

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