Analysis of benzalkonium chloride in the effluent from European hospitals by solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography with post-column ion-pairing and fluorescence detection

Publikation: Beiträge in ZeitschriftenZeitschriftenaufsätzeForschungbegutachtet

Authors

  • Klaus Kümmerer
  • Andreas Eitel
  • Ulrich Braun
  • Peter Hubner
  • Franz D. Daschner
  • Georges Mascart
  • Milena Milandri
  • Franz Reinthaler
  • Jan Verhoef
A highly reproducible and specific method for the analysis of the quaternary ammonium compound, benzalkonium chloride, in effluents from European hospitals is presented. Benzalkonium chloride was extracted with end-capped RP-18 solid-phase cartridges and was selectively eluted. The resulting solution was analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). After elution from the analytical column of the HPLC system, 9,10-dimethoxyanthracene-2-sulfonate was added continuously as a fluorescence marker, forming a hydrophobic ion-pair with benzalkonium chloride. The ion-pair was analysed by fluorescence detection. The method was applied to highly complex effluent samples from different sized European hospitals. The measured concentrations were between 0.05 and 6.03 mg/l. The amounts emitted per bed and year were 4.5-362 g and did not correlate with the size of the hospital. The total amounts were 2.6-909 kg/year
OriginalspracheEnglisch
ZeitschriftJournal of Chromatography A
Jahrgang774
Ausgabenummer1-2
Seiten (von - bis)281-286
Anzahl der Seiten6
ISSN0021-9673
DOIs
PublikationsstatusErschienen - 11.07.1997
Extern publiziertJa

    Fachgebiete

  • Chemie
  • AMMONIA, Ammonium, ANALYSIS, benzalkonium chloride, CATIONIC SURFACTANTS, CHLORIDE, chromatography, COLUMN, COMPOUND, derivatization, LC, detection, dimethoxyanthracene-2-sulfonate, disinfectants, effluent, EFFLUENTS, EUROPEAN HOSPITALS, EXTRACTION, FLUORESCENCE, FLUORESCENCE DETECTION, fluorescence labelling, HIGH PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY, HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY, hospital effluent, HPLC, liquid, liquid chromatography, LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY, Marker, quaternary ammonium compounds, SAMPLES, SIZE, solid phase extraction, SOLID-PHASE EXTRACTION, SURFACTANTS, SYSTEM

DOI