Rapid and sensitive method for the simultaneous determination of PAHs and alkyl-PAHs in scrubber water using HS-SPME-GC-MS/MS

Scrubber water, a waste stream generated by ships exhaust gas cleaning systems, may pose a threat when released into the marine environment due to potential contamination with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their alkyl derivatives (alkyl-PAHs). This study aims to develop a reliable analytical procedure combining headspace solid-phase microextraction (HSSPME) with gas chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) to simultaneously separate and determine target compounds in aqueous samples. Method validation demonstrated good linearity up to 200 ng L- 1 (r(2) > 0.996) and low limits of detection (0.33 to 1.67 ng L-1, except for naphthalene at 3.3 ng L-1). The method shows good precision (RSD < 20%) and satisfactory analytical recoveries. The methodology was successfully applied to scrubber water samples collected from a container ship and the results highlight the prevalence of naphthalene, phenanthrene, and their alkyl derivatives. Rapid and reproducible HS-SPME-GC-MS/MS method for the analysis of PAHs and alkyl-PAHs in scrubber water. The capacity of SPME to analyze both filtered and unfiltered samples was assessed, showing that the more hydrophobic PAHs may be lost during filtration.