The Measure of Purity - Water quality applications

Significance of the Topic

Water is essential to all life but faces increasing threats from scarcity, chemical contamination, and emerging pollutants. Reliable monitoring of water quality safeguards public health, ensures regulatory compliance, and supports sustainable management of essential water resources.

Objectives and Study Overview

This summary presents a unified framework for water analysis leveraging advanced instrumentation and workflows. It covers methods for volatile and semivolatile organics, multiresidue pesticide screening, polar contaminants (PPCPs and PFAS), inorganic elements, sample preparation techniques, and data analysis solutions, demonstrating high sensitivity, selectivity, and throughput.

Methodology

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
• Headspace GC/MS with high-capacity sampling and electronic pneumatic control for ppt-level detection.
• Purge and trap autosampling coupled to GC/MSD (EPA Method 524.2) for 71 VOCs in under 15 minutes.

Semivolatiles and Pesticides
• Single and triple quadrupole GC/MS with deconvolution reporting and retention time locking to minimize matrix effects.
• Multimode programmable inlets and capillary flow backflushing for enhanced signal-to-noise and reduced maintenance.

Polar Contaminants (PPCPs and PFAS)
• Online SPE coupled to triple quadrupole LC/MS for ng/L-level herbicide and pesticide quantification.
• LC/Q-TOF for accurate-mass screening and identification of unknown pharmaceuticals and PFAS at pg/L levels.

Inorganic and Elemental Analysis
• Graphite furnace and cold vapor AA for toxic metals (EPA 245.1) achieving ppb–ppt detection.
• ICP-OES with simultaneous axial/radial view for rapid multielement analysis across ppm–ppb.
• ICP-MS with high-matrix introduction and spICP-MS for ppt-level trace elements and nanoparticle characterization.

Sample Preparation and Consumables
• Bond Elut SPE cartridges for selective extraction and high recoveries.
• Ultra Inert liners, weldments, and columns to prevent analyte loss and adsorption.
• InfinityLab Poroshell 120 columns for fast, scalable UHPLC separations.

Instrumental Equipment

• Agilent 7697A Headspace Sampler
• Agilent 8890 GC/MSD
• Teledyne Tekmar Lumin P&T and Atomx systems
• Agilent 7000D Triple Quadrupole GC/MS
• Agilent 6400/6500 Series Triple Quadrupole LC/MS
• Agilent 7250 GC/Q-TOF and 1290 Infinity II LC/Q-TOF
• Agilent 280Z Graphite Furnace AA with VGA 77
• Agilent 5110 SVDV ICP-OES
• Agilent 7800/7900 ICP-MS with ISIS 3 and prepFAST
• Agilent Cary 60 UV-Vis

Main Results and Discussion

VOCs
• Achieved detection limits <0.10 ppb for 60 VOCs (EU Directive 98/83/EC), RSDs <10%.
• P&T methods delivered ppt to ppq sensitivity with analysis in 15 minutes.

Semivolatiles & Pesticides
• GC/MS/MS quantified 8 PAHs and 6 PBDEs in wastewater with no cleanup, sub-ppt LODs, 20-minute runtime.
• MRM database enabled screening of over 1,100 pesticides with RSDs <20%.

PPCPs & PFAS
• Direct aqueous LC/MS/MS detected pharmaceuticals at ppt levels (S/N >46:1).
• Dynamic MRM screened 30 PFAS with zero background, LODs down to 0.025 pg on column.

Inorganics
• GFAA delivered ppb–ppt detection for As, Cd, Hg with certified recoveries ±10%.
• ICP-OES measured 26 elements in reference water with 94–109% recovery.
• ICP-MS quantified 17 regulated elements in NIST SRM 1643f, recoveries 90–101%, <60 s per sample.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Comprehensive coverage of organic and inorganic analytes for regulatory compliance.
• Robust flow paths and consumables minimize adsorption and maintenance.
• Scalable methods support easy transfer between analytical scales.
• Integrated software simplifies method development, data analysis, and reporting.

Future Trends and Applications

Non-targeted and suspect screening with high-resolution MS will drive discovery of emerging threats. spICP-MS will expand nanoparticle speciation in environmental matrices. Automated, inline sample preparation and compact field-deployable instruments will enable real-time water quality monitoring.

Conclusion

Agilent’s integrated portfolio of instruments, consumables, and software delivers high-performance, reliable solutions for comprehensive water quality analysis. This unified workflow meets current regulatory needs while supporting future challenges in environmental monitoring.

References

• Agilent Application Note 5991-2108EN: Environmental VOCs Using Headspace Sampler with GC/MSD
• Agilent Application Note 5991-0896EN: Optimized VOC Analysis Using VOC Application Solution
• Agilent Application Note 5991-0017EN: Wastewater PAHs and PBDEs with 7000 Triple Quadrupole GC/MS
• Agilent Application Note 5991-1738EN: Trace Herbicides by Online SPE and Triple Quadrupole MS
• Agilent Application Note 5994-0310EN: Nanoparticles by spICP-MS