Direct determination of trace-level haloacetic acids in drinking water by two-dimensional ion chromatography with suppressed conductivity

During the treatment process of drinking water, disinfectants (chlorine, ozone, chlorine dioxide) react on water containing organic matter and bromide to produce disinfection by-products at trace levels. Among them, five of the nine existing halo-acetic acids (HAAs) are commonly found in drinking water (monochloroacetic acid (MCAA), dichloroacetic acid (DCAA), monobromoacetic acid (MBAA), dibromoacetic acid (DBAA), and Trichloroacetic acid (TCAA)), including four classified in the 2B IARC group of potential carcinogens (BCAA, DBAA, DCAA, TCAA). With respect to drinking water quality, guidelines are proposed by WHO (2006) and water quality standards are imposed in many countries such as less than 100 μg/L for the sum of the five HAAs by US EPA (1998) and Canadian Health Department (2008). For this purpose, two analytical methods are commonly used, GC/MS with derivatization and LC/MS, UV or conductivity. A new method, based on two-dimensional ion chromatography (IC 2D) with suppressed conductivity is proposed. This method presents the main advantage of offering a quick implementation compared to GC or LC methods: direct injection, slight maintenance, lower cost of investment, by leading to good performances (specificity and sensitivity). The use of two different selectivity columns, and the fractionation on the first dimension canceling interferences, improves the specificity. The sensitivity is enabled by interfacing a preconcentration column between the two different internal diameter columns. The analytical conditions are optimized for the analysis of nine HAAs. The performances of the method are evaluated. The optimized method applied to natural water samples demonstrates its ability to quantify HAAs at trace levels in drinking water.