Preconcentration and Determination of Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in Water Samples by Bamboo Charcoal-Based Solid-Phase Extraction Prior to Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Ze-Hui Deng,Xiao-Li Wang,Ming-Lin Wang,Ru-Song Zhao,Shui-He Shi,Chuan-Ge Cheng

doi:10.3390/molecules23040902

Abstract

In this work, bamboo charcoal was used as solid-phase extraction adsorbent for the enrichment of six perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in environmental water samples before liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis. The specific porous structure, high specific surface area, high porosity, and stability of bamboo charcoal were characterized. Several experimental parameters which considerably affect extraction efficiency were investigated and optimized in detail. The experimental data exhibited low limits of detection (LODs) (0.01–1.15 ng/L), wide linear range (2–3 orders of magnitude and R ≥ 0.993) within the concentration range of 0.1–1000 ng/L, and good repeatability (2.7–5.0%, n = 5 intraday and 4.8–8.3%, n = 5 interday) and reproducibility (5.3–8.0%, n = 3). Bamboo charcoal was successfully used for the enrichment and determination of PFAAs in real environmental water samples. The bamboo charcoal-based solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis possessed great potential in the determination of trace PFAA levels in environmental water samples.

Highlights

Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) consists of a C–F bond, which is one of the strongest chemical bonds; these compounds are both hydrophobic and lipophobic [1]
A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrograph of the bamboo charcoal is shown in Figure 1A, and the porous structure of the material can be seen clearly
Bamboo charcoal can be used as an effective sorbent for environmental pollutants because of its plentiful cavity construction and high specific surface area

Summary

Introduction

Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) consists of a C–F bond, which is one of the strongest chemical bonds; these compounds are both hydrophobic and lipophobic [1]. PFASs are distributed in various samples, such as water [2,3,4,5], soil and sediments [6,7,8,9], biological samples [10], and food samples [11] because of their high stability. The hazards of these organic compounds have been reported recently. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the US Environmental Protection Agency classified PFASs as “potentially

Methods

Results

Conclusion