Validation of modified QuEChERS method for metformin and triclosan quantification in sewage using LC-MS

Abstract

The compounds in pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) that may be potential environmental pollutants include metformin and triclosan. The suitable method to estimate the presence of metformin (MET) and triclosan (TRI) in wastewater treatment facilities is developed and validated in this research study. This study aimed to quantify the MET and TRI in sewage through a liquid chromatograph – mass spectrometer (LC-MS 8040) by a Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) technique of sample preparation. In LC-MS 8040, the Milli-Q water and sewage were examined at three different concentrations (0.01, 0.02 and 0.03 mg L⁻¹) of MET and TRI. The recoveries of MET in both the matrixes ranged between 88.10 to 116.10% whereas the recoveries were ranged from 86.70 to 116.30% for TRI (n = 7, RSD −1. With the matrix effect of < 10% in sewage, the approach was shown to be very linear (R² = 0.9969 for MET and R² = 0.9939 for TRI) and reliable. The precision was also exemplary with the RSD value of < 10% (n = 6). This method accurately assessed MET (BDL to 0.0657 mg L⁻¹) and TRI (BDL to 0.1833 mg L⁻¹) concentrations in sewage samples of Ukkadam sewage treatment plant (USTP) and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University treatment plant (TSTP). This is a unique use of the QuEChERS method for calculating these two compounds from aqueous matrixes with substantially greater outputs (20–25 samples per day) than typical Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) procedures.