Development of active-passive sampling (APS) strategies for dynamic speciation analysis and ecotoxicity evaluation of psychoactive substances and their metabolites in wastewater.

Wastewater analysis of drugs and their metabolites can provide information on drug use and abuse in general populations. Conventionally, 24 h composite samples are analyzed and the chemical reactivity of the compounds within the wastewater matrix is ignored. In practice, these compounds are likely to associate with the diverse particles present in the wastewater matrix. Negligence of such interactions will lead to erroneous estimations of analyte concentrations. To address this issue, this project employs innovative active-passive sampling (APS) strategies to quantify psychoactive substances in wastewater, taking into account their chemodynamic behaviour. The interpretation framework will be supported by determination of analyte-particle interactions with a range of particles. The APS device incorporates a controlled hydrodynamic flow of the sample matrix across selective sorbents which accumulate the target compounds. APS can be used in equilibrium mode to estimate the equilibrium analyte concentrations, e.g., the freely dissolved form; and in non-equilibrium mode to provide information on the kinetic features of their chemical forms in wastewater matrices. The performance of the APS will be compared with conventional 24 h composite sampling in both influent and effluent flows of wastewater treatment plants. A novel passive dosing strategy will also be explored for the ecotoxicological risk assessment of the drugs and their metabolites via a battery of toxicological tests.

Keywords:WASTE WATER

Disciplines:Analytical separation and detection techniques, Solution chemistry, Ecotoxicology, Environmental chemistry, Environmental impact and risk assessment