Simple Method for the Simultaneous Analysis of Pharmaceutical and Agrotoxic Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Either Surface Water or Urban Wastewater

摘要: The expanding world population has resulted in an increase in the widespread use of chemical compounds like pharmaceuticals and pesticides, referred to as Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs). In this work, chromatographic adaptation was carried out to quantify a set of pesticides and pharmaceutical compounds in surface and waste waters in a simultaneous and simple way, using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to a diode array detector (HPLC-PDA). Initially, a solid phase extraction (SPE) methodology was optimized for the pesticide-type compounds and a method for extraction of the pharmaceuticals was adapted. The HPLC-PDA method allows for the simultaneous determination of 8 compounds in surface water and domestic wastewater:(i) 4 pesticides: Methamidophos, Carbaryl, Carbofuran, and Chlorpyrifos, with limits of detection (LOD) ranging 0.2 μg/L to 42.0 μg/L and limits of quantification (LOQ) of 0.7 μg/L to 142.0 μg/L, and (ii) 4 pharmaceuticals: Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, Naproxen and Doxycycline, with LOD of 0.02 μg/L-3.26 μg/L and LOQ of 0.08 μg/L–10.89 μg/L.• 8 Contaminants of Emerging Concern were determined simultaneously by HPLC-PDA in urban wastewater.• The analytical method showed good linearity, accuracy (repeatability) and sensitivity.• The method can be leveraged as a simple and quick tool to determine Contaminants of Emerging Concern in complex water matrices.