In situ application of the diffusive gradients in thin film technique in aquaculture ponds for monitoring antibiotics, hormones, and herbicides

In recent years, as the abuse of antibiotics, hormones, and herbicides has worsened in aquaculture industry, it is important to monitor the concentrations of those trace contaminants in aquaculture water more effortlessly. The aim of this study was to develop a reliable sampling method for chemical monitoring in aquaculture ponds based on the technique of diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT). A binding material (XDA-1 resin) with high adsorption capacity for antibiotics, hormones, and herbicides was selected. In laboratory, the diffusion coefficients of 11 antibiotics, 3 hormones, and 3 herbicides of the XDA-1-DGT devices were tested and ranged from 1.0×10−6 to 8.7×10−5 cm2/s. During the in situ application of XDA-1-DGT devices in different aquaculture ponds, concentrations of 11 antibiotics, 3 hormones, and 3 herbicides in aquaculture water (CSOLN) via grab sampling were also analyzed and found ranging from 0.03 to 6.3 ng/L, lower than the results based on DGT (CDGT) (1.2–1.3×102 ng/L). The values of CDGT/CSOLN were larger than one unit, suggesting that the rates of resupply of target chemicals (antibiotics, hormones, and herbicides) by the desorption and diffusion of pond water were higher than the rates of uptake by XDA-1-DGT, and pond water was proved a sufficient reservoir of antibiotics for DGT application. The value of Log (CDGT/CSOLN) of 1.1 derived from the application in the aquaculture ponds of 14 regions in Eastern China can be a reference value for future chemical monitoring based on DGT technique. And the accuracy of this value was found hardly affected by the physical and chemical properties of chemicals with pKa ranging from −1 to 12, Log Kow ranging from 0 to 4.5, and Log solubility ranging from 0.0 to 4.0.