Screening determination of pharmaceutical pollutants in different water matrices using dual-channel capillary electrophoresis coupled with contactless conductivity detection

• A new approach for screening determination of pharmaceutical pollutants in water.
• Pharmaceutical pollutants in different water matrices in Hanoi were determined.
• A dual-channel CE-C4D instrument with two individual running buffers was developed.

In this study, the employment of purpose-made dual-channel compact capillary electrophoresis (CE) instrument with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C4D) as a simple and inexpensive solution for screening determination of various pharmaceutical pollutants frequently occurring in surface water and hospital wastewater in Hanoi, Vietnam is reported. Five negatively charged pharmaceutically active compounds, namely ibuprofen, diclofenac, bezafibrate, ketoprofen and mefenamic acid were determined using the first channel whereas three positively charged ones, namely diphenhydramine, metoprolol and atenolol were determined with the second channel of the CE-C4D instrument. Two different background electrolytes (BGEs) were used in these two CE channels independently. The best detection limits achieved were in the range of 0.2–0.8 mg/L without sample pre-concentration. Enrichment factors up to 200 were obtainable with the inclusion of a solid phase extraction step. Good agreement between results obtained from CE-C4D and those with the standard confirmation method (HPLC-DAD) was achieved, with correlation coefficients higher than 0.98.

Screening determination of pharmaceutical pollutants in different water matrices using dual-channel capillary electrophoresis coupled with contactless conductivity detection.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide