Comparison of two extraction methods for the analysis of per- and polyfluorinated chemicals in digested sewage sludge.

A rapid and reliable analytical method, based on ion-pair extraction, clean-up on Envicarb cartridge and detection by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), was developed for determination of 17 per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in digested sewage sludge. Envicarb cartridge and six labeled internal standards were selected for the elimination/reduction and correction of matrix effects, respectively. As a result, the matrix effect for perfluorooctane sulfonamides (FOSAs) and perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) with carbon chain length from C6 to C14 was lowered to a range of -14% to +28%. However, the matrix effect for other analytes was still great mainly due to the absence of appropriate internal standard. Mean recoveries of the target analytes based on matrix spikes, at different spike levels (10-300ng/g), ranged from 70% to 169%. Relative standard deviations (RSDs) were in the range of 2-20% at different spike levels. The limit of quantification (LOQ) ranged between 0.6 and 30ng/g. The method was successfully applied to several sewage sludge samples from wastewater treatment plants nearby Zürich, Switzerland. In addition, by comparing the accuracy and precision of ion-pair extraction method and methanol extraction method, we further demonstrated that the ion-pair extraction method can be used for the analysis of PFCs in sludge samples. To our knowledge, this is the first study to extract the PFCs in sewage sludge with ion-pair method and to find unsaturated fluorotelomer carboxylic acids (FTUCAs) in sewage sludge.

[1]  C. Criddle,et al.  Quantitative determination of perfluorochemicals in sediments and domestic sludge. , 2005, Environmental science & technology.

[2]  Kurunthachalam Kannan,et al.  Perfluorinated compounds in human milk from Massachusetts, U.S.A. , 2008, Environmental science & technology.

[3]  Scott A Mabury,et al.  Observation of a commercial fluorinated material, the polyfluoroalkyl phosphoric acid diesters, in human sera, wastewater treatment plant sludge, and paper fibers. , 2009, Environmental science & technology.

[4]  K. Kannan,et al.  An analytical method for the determination of perfluorinated compounds in whole blood using acetonitrile and solid phase extraction methods. , 2009, Journal of chromatography. A.

[5]  Lei Wang,et al.  Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids and perfluorooctanesulfonate in bivalve shells: extraction method optimization. , 2010, Journal of chromatography. A.

[6]  W. Giger,et al.  Environmental exposure assessment of fluoroquinolone antibacterial agents from sewage to soil. , 2003, Environmental science & technology.

[7]  R. Buck,et al.  Matrix effect-free analytical methods for determination of perfluorinated carboxylic acids in environmental matrixes. , 2005, Analytical chemistry.

[8]  Richard G Luthy,et al.  Sorption of perfluorinated surfactants on sediments. , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[9]  Miss A.O. Penney.  (b) , 1974, The New Yale Book of Quotations.

[10]  H. Westberg,et al.  A time trend study of significantly elevated perfluorocarboxylate levels in humans after using fluorinated ski wax. , 2010, Environmental science & technology.

[11]  G. G. Stokes.  "J." , 1890, The New Yale Book of Quotations.

[12]  C. Iden,et al.  Analysis of alkylphenol ethoxylate metabolites in the aquatic environment using liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry. , 2000, Analytical chemistry.

[13]  J. Westall,et al.  Sorption of linear alkylbenzenesulfonates on sediment materials , 1999 .

[14]  Robert A Hoke,et al.  Polyfluorinated chemicals in a spatially and temporally integrated food web in the Western Arctic. , 2008, Chemosphere.

[15]  B. Matuszewski,et al.  Strategies for the assessment of matrix effect in quantitative bioanalytical methods based on HPLC-MS/MS. , 2003, Analytical chemistry.

[16]  R. Bossi,et al.  Perfluoroalkyl compounds in Danish wastewater treatment plants and aquatic environments. , 2008, Environment international.

[17]  Ning Wang,et al.  Aerobic biotransformation of 14C-labeled 8-2 telomer B alcohol by activated sludge from a domestic sewage treatment plant. , 2005, Environmental science & technology.

[18]  S. Tittlemier,et al.  Development and characterization of a solvent extraction-gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric method for the analysis of perfluorooctanesulfonamide compounds in solid matrices. , 2005, Journal of chromatography. A.

[19]  M. A. Mohd,et al.  Perfluorooctanesulfonate and related fluorochemicals in human blood from several countries. , 2004, Environmental science & technology.

[20]  Derek C G Muir,et al.  Analysis for perfluorocarboxylic acids/anions in surface waters and precipitation using GC--MS and analysis of PFOA from large-volume samples. , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[21]  Kurunthachalam Kannan,et al.  Mass loading and fate of perfluoroalkyl surfactants in wastewater treatment plants. , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[22]  Scott A Mabury,et al.  Fluorotelomer alcohol biodegradation yields poly- and perfluorinated acids. , 2004, Environmental science & technology.

[23]  J. Giesy,et al.  Global distribution of perfluorooctane sulfonate in wildlife. , 2001, Environmental science & technology.

[24]  Jinxia Liu,et al.  Biotransformation of 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohol in soil and by soil bacteria isolates. , 2007, Environmental science & technology.

[25]  H. Yoo,et al.  Analysis of perfluorinated chemicals in sludge: method development and initial results. , 2009, Journal of chromatography. A.

[26]  H. Schröder,et al.  Determination of fluorinated surfactants and their metabolites in sewage sludge samples by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry after pressurised liquid extraction and separation on fluorine-modified reversed-phase sorbents. , 2003, Journal of chromatography. A.

[27]  Jennifer A. Field,et al.  Perfluorinated Surfactants and the Environmental Implications of Their Use in Fire-Fighting Foams , 2000 .

[28]  Kurunthachalam Kannan,et al.  Perfluoroalkyl sulfonates and perfluorocarboxylates in two wastewater treatment facilities in Kentucky and Georgia. , 2007, Water research.

[29]  K. Hansen,et al.  Compound-specific, quantitative characterization of organic fluorochemicals in biological matrices. , 2001, Environmental science & technology.

[30]  Christoph Ort,et al.  Occurrence and mass flows of fluorochemicals in the Glatt Valley watershed, Switzerland. , 2008, Environmental science & technology.

[31]  Matt F Simcik,et al.  Ratio of perfluorochemical concentrations as a tracer of atmospheric deposition to surface waters. , 2005, Environmental science & technology.

[32]  C. Lau,et al.  Perfluoroalkyl acids: a review of monitoring and toxicological findings. , 2007, Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology.

[33]  S. D. Cunningham,et al.  SEQUESTRATION OF HYDROPHOBIC ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS BY GEOSORBENTS , 1997 .

[34]  Craig S Criddle,et al.  Aerobic biotransformation and fate of N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamidoethanol (N-EtFOSE) in activated sludge. , 2008, Environmental science & technology.

[35]  Ian T Cousins,et al.  Sources, fate and transport of perfluorocarboxylates. , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[36]  Pawel Rostkowski,et al.  Determination of trace levels of total fluorine in water using combustion ion chromatography for fluorine: a mass balance approach to determine individual perfluorinated chemicals in water. , 2007, Journal of chromatography. A.

[37]  Craig S. Criddle,et al.  Fluorinated Organics in the Biosphere , 1997 .

[38]  John J. Evans,et al.  Analysis of perfluorinated carboxylic acids in soils II: optimization of chromatography and extraction. , 2008, Journal of chromatography. A.