Development and Validation of a Sensitive Method for the Simultaneous Detection of Benzothiazoles, Benzotriazoles and Organic Ultraviolet Filters in Surface Water, Wastewater, Sediment, and Sludge by Gc-Ms/Ms

The presence of benzothiazoles (BTHs), benzotriazoles (BTs) and organic ultraviolet filters (UV filters) in aquatic ecosystems has become a significant environmental issue that requires urgent and efficient determination methods. Sensitive and robust multi-residue determination methods using triple quadrupole gas chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS) were developed for the simultaneous extraction and analysis of 9 commonly used BTHs, 1 BTs and 10 UV filters in surface water, wastewater, sediment, and sludge. Water samples were extracted using the solid-phase extraction (SPE) technique with hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) cartridges, whereas sediment and sludge samples were extracted using ultrasonic extraction combined with SPE purification. Extraction conditions for the SPE (SPE cartridge type, pH, and elution solvent) and ultrasonic extraction (extraction solvent, extraction time, and cycles) were optimized. The quantification limits of the 20 target compounds in surface water, wastewater, sediment, and sludge were 0.01–2.12 ng/L, 0.05–6.14 ng/L, 0.04–5.88 ng/g, and 0.22–6.61 ng/g, respectively. Regarding environmental samples, the recovery values for all target compounds ranged from 50 to 150%, with acceptable precision (RSD < 20%) for all analytes. The developed method was used to measure the target compound levels in surface water, sediment, wastewater, and sludge samples collected from WWTPs and the Pearl River in Guangzhou, China. Most targeted analytes were detected in all types of collected environmental samples. Benzotriazole (BT) and 2-hydroxybenzothiazole (2-OH-BTH) were frequently detected in influent wastewater samples, with higher concentrations of 966 and 372 ng/L, respectively, whilst 2-(2'-hydroxy-5'-octylphenyl)-benzotriazole (UV-329) was detected at concentrations of 50.5 and 151 ng/g in sediment and sludge samples, respectively.