To simultaneously quantify and profile
the complex mixture of short-,
median-, and long-chain CPs (SCCPs, MCCPs, and LCCPs) in Australian
sewage sludge, we applied and further validated a recently developed
novel instrumental technique, using quadrupole time-of-flight high
resolution mass spectrometry running in the negative atmospheric pressure
chemical ionization mode (APCI-qTOF-HRMS). Without using an analytical
column the cleaned extracts were directly injected into the qTOF-HRMS
followed by quantification of the CPs by a mathematical algorithm.
The recoveries of the four SCCP, MCCP and LCCP-spiked sewage sludge
samples ranged from 86 to 123%. This APCI-qTOF-HRMS method is a fast
and promising technique for routinely measuring SCCPs, MCCPs, and
LCCPs in sewage sludge. Australian sewage sludge was dominated by
MCCPs with concentrations ranging from 542 to 3645 ng/g dry weight
(dw). Lower SCCPs concentrations (<57–1421 ng/g dw) were
detected in the Australian sewage sludge, which were comparable with
the LCCPs concentrations (116–960 ng/g dw). This is the first
time that CPs were reported in Australian sewage sludge. The results
of this study gives a first impression on the distribution of the
SCCPs, MCCPs, and LCCPs in Australia wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.