Abstract
Water pollution events may arise rapidly, requiring a methodology that is easy to implement, fast to deploy, and sufficiently sensitive to detect the trace presence of hazardous contaminants. A cheap and easy to use silicone rubber (polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)) miniature passive sampler is described. In order to test the methodology, pollutants were concentrated, in situ, from surface water in and around Pretoria, South Africa. The versatile sampler allowed for conventional and enhanced sensitivity, solvent-free analysis by comprehensive gas chromatography - time of flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC-TOFMS) and high resolution TOFMS (GC-HRT). Contaminants detected in surface water include caffeine, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Highlights
Water supply in South Africa is characterised by both achievements and challenges
Passive samplers accumulate analytes over time and provide enhanced sensitivity for trace level analytes compared to conventional bottle collection of water
Dissolved compounds in surface water from 3 different sites were concentrated using passive sampler made from silicone rubber (PDMS) loops as a passive sampler, and the results are depicted in Tables 1 to 6
Summary
Water supply in South Africa is characterised by both achievements and challenges. In recent years, the country has made satisfactory progress with regard to improving access to water supply in urban areas. As water quality problems can arise very quickly, and can be extremely short lived (e.g. spills or short- term releases into rivers), the methodology must be easy to implement, rapid to deploy, and must be sufficiently sensitive to detect the trace presence of harmful contaminants. Spot water sampling gives chemical information specific to the moment of sampling and may fail to detect intermittent or transitory pollution. Passive samplers accumulate analytes over time and provide enhanced sensitivity for trace level analytes compared to conventional bottle collection of water. Silicone rubber (polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)) functions as a hydrophobic solvent (Baltussen et al, 2002) and is ideally suited for the in situ enrichment of persistent organic pollutants from water. Passive samplers are solvent extracted prior to instrumental analysis to obtain the trapped contaminants in an analysable form.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
