Disinfectant and By‐Product Analysis in Water Treatment by Membrane Introduction Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

593 Membrane introduction mass spectrometry (MIMS) is a state-of-the-art technique that combines the quick separation of volatile analytes from complex matrices using selective membranes with the precision offered by mass spectrometry (MS) on chemical identification and quantification [1]. Compared with gas or liquid chromatography (GC or LC) traditionally used in front of MS, the membrane separation technique has the advantages of being both simple, which minimizes sample preparation, and rapid, which makes real-time monitoring possible [2]. The use of a mass spectrometer as the detector also makes MIMS less subject to analytical interference, a frequent limitation of non-MS-based techniques such as calorimetry [3,4]. In comparison to the long history of MIMS development [5], its application to understanding drinking water disinfection has been a fairly recent endeavor (cf. Table 27.1). Disinfection is an important process in drinking water treatment that controls waterborne diseases by killing or inactivating pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and protozoa [6]. In addition to inactivating pathogens, disinfectants can also react with trace-level organic matter, which is always present in water, to produce a variety of organic and inorganic disinfection by-products (DBPs), many of which have potential adverse, chronic health effects as a result of long-term exposure [7]. Understanding disinfectant speciation and DBP formation is an area of intensive research. Many common disinfectants and DBPs are either gaseous or volatile; therefore, they can be readily measured by MIMS. Although MIMS has attracted much attention because of the aforementioned advantages over traditional analytical techniques for both disinfectants and DBPs [8], its use has so far been restricted to the cognoscenti of the research field. In this chapter, we present the protocols for implementing MIMS with the intention of expanding its access to a greater community of interested users. We focus our discussion on MIMS instruments using capillary membrane introduction probes [9], which have been the choice for water disinfection applications. More comprehensive reviews of MIMS development and applications are available in the literature [1,10].