Abstract.
A method was developed for the analysis of non-volatile dissolved organic residues in tertiary treated wastewater effluents. This method involved concentration of samples by rotary evaporation, propylation using propanol/formic acid/acetyl chloride, and separation, detection and quantitation by capillary GC/EI and CI-MS and GC/TSQ-MS analysis. Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) was the most prominent compound found in both granular activated carbon (GAC) and chlorinated GAC effluents (110 and 140 μg/L, respectively). Other compounds identified included nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), carboxyalkylphenoxy ethoxy carboxylates, poly(propoxy), poly(ethoxy) or poly(ethoxy)(propoxy) compounds, small aliphatic dicarboxylic acids and aldehydes, all at lg/L levels. Approximately 80% of all chromatographically separated compounds were positively or tentatively identified. The identified compounds are estimated to account for approximately 10% of the dissolved organic carbon.
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Received: 8 August 1994/Revised: 14 February 1995/Accepted: 16 February 1995
Correspondence to: W.-H. Ding
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Ding, WH., Fujita, Y., Aeschimann, R. et al. Identification of organic residues in tertiary effluents by GC/EI-MS, GC/CI-MS and GC/TSQ-MS. Fresenius J Anal Chem 354, 48–55 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002169600008
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002169600008