A novel online solid phase extraction (SPE) high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) high resolution mass spectrometry method was devolved to analyze caffeine concentrations in wastewater and natural waters in order to evaluate caffeine’s usefulness as an environmental tracer. Caffeine is a universally used substance present in beverages and foods and is regularly detected in wastewaters even after chemical treatment. Traces of caffeine in water samples may indicate the presence of wastewater along with additional, more harmful compounds that may have also been left untreated. In this study, samples of reclaimed water and natural waters were analyzed using Equan MAX Plus SPE pre-concentration system coupled to a high pressure liquid chromatography system and Q Exactive Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap HRMS in full scan, positive identification mode. Caffeine was found to have a concentration ranging between 76 and 1425 ng/L in reclaimed water samples and a concentration ranging between 10 and 664 ng/L in natural waters. The higher concentration in reclaimed water suggests caffeine may be a useful tracer of the presence of wastewater and its associated compounds.

Caffeine analysis of wastewater using online SPE-LC high resolution mass spectrometry

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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