*WINNER* Wastewater sample analysis by LC-MS/MS for amphetamine-type stimulants and opioids

Abstract

This won best undergraduate poster in Environmental Studies.

Opioids and amphetamine-type stimulants are drugs of abuse for many Tennesseans. After excretion, many of the drugs may be found in wastewater effluent due to incomplete removal during the treatment process. We took grab samples of wastewater influent, effluent prior to UV treatment, and effluent after UV treatment. In the lab, we filtered the samples, and extracted them using different solid phase extraction (SPE) sorbents, the choice of which was based on the pKa of the analyte. We also deployed passive sampling devices, Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Samplers (POCIS), into the wastewater streams of the influent, pre-UV effluent, and post-UV effluent wastewater. Individual POCIS disks contained the sorbent specific to the analyte pKa to test for specificity and efficacy. We used Oasis WCX mixed-mode sorbent for the extraction of amphetamine-type stimulants, Oasis MCX mixed-mode sorbent for the extraction of opioids, and Oasis HLB reversed-phase sorbent for both amphetamines and opioids. We analyzed all samples by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and compared sorbent type and sampling technique.