Determination of nine sensitizing disperse dyes in activated sludge by ultrasound-assisted liquid-liquid extraction-ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry

A method was developed on the basis of ultrasound-assisted liquid-liquid extraction ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ULLE-UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) to determine nine sensitizing disperse dyes in activated sludge. The samples were extracted using ULLE and separated through UPLC on an ACQUITY UPLCTM BEH C18 column with a gradient elution program of acetonitrile and acidified water (containing 2 % acetonitrile, 0.2 % formic acid, and 0.005 mol/L ammonium; pH 2.7) as the mobile phase. The samples were then identified and quantified through UPLC-ESI-MS/MS in a positive mode and multiple reaction monitoring. Results showed good linearity (10-1000 μg/L, 0.9934-0.9998), detection limit (0.08-2.17 μg/L), and quantification limit (0.27-7.38 μg/L) for the nine sensitizing disperse dyes, with recoveries ranging from 65.0 to 111.3 %. The proposed method was applied to detect and determine the concentration of sensitizing disperse dyes in sludge samples obtained from various sewage treatment plants (six dyeing enterprises and one dye manufacturer). Three sensitizing disperse dyes were identified, and the lowest concentration detected was 10 μg/kg.