Advanced liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods applied to wastewater removal and the fate of surfactants in the environment

Abstract

This article is an overview of current methodologies for the analysis of different classes of surfactants by advanced liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technologies, including LC-tandem MS (LC-MS2), ion trap, quadrupole-time-of-flight (Q-TOF) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-TOF. It also discusses the application of LC-MS methods in studies of the fate and the behavior of surfactants during wastewater treatment either using conventional activated sludge (CAS), membrane bioreactor (MBR) or advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Using advanced LC-MS methodologies, it is possible to detect a variety of polar metabolites, such as carboxylic acids and short-chain sulphonic-acid derivatives of surfactants formed during the biodegradation processes in either the wastewater-treatment plants or the environment.