A quantitative method of PPCPs in DOM-PPCPs coexisting system by differential spectroscopy

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) were widely present in the water environment, posing a threat to both the ecological environment and human health. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) was ubiquitous in aquatic system and could form strong complexes with PPCPs, thereby interfering with accurate quantification. This paper proposed a novel method that utilized ultraviolet differential spectroscopy to accurately quantify PPCPs in DOM-PPCPs coexisting systems. A linear regression equation was established between UV–vis absorbance change (ΔA) at the characteristic peaks of specific PPCP and its concentration, resulting in the creation of a standard curve. The coefficient of determination (R2) of the linear regression equations established by four DOM (humic acid, fulvic acid, bovine serum albumin and polysaccharide sodium alginate) and the given PPCPs were consistently above 92 %. Moreover, real water samples were collected for the purpose of conducting a standard recovery experiment. The recovery rates of three types of PPCPs (carbamazepine, sodium sulfadiazine and triclosan) ranged from 90 % to 120 %, suggesting the feasibility of quantifying PPCPs in the DOM-PPCPs coexisting system using this method. The method proposed for quantifying PPCPs in DOM-PPCPs coexisting systems using UV differential spectroscopy introduced a new approach to quantifying PPCPs.