Water pollution is a global problem that requires monitoring the status of ecosystems. A large number of emergent pollutants are present in aquatic environments. These are chemicals potentially hazardous to the environment and ecosystems. They are typically not monitored, because they are not legally regulated.
The aim of the thesis was to determine the pollution of the Vipava river with emergent pollutants.
Pollution of the Vipava river is mainly due to agriculture, industry, traffic, unregulated sewage networks, and inflows from other rivers and tributaries. The river water samples were extracted using solid-phase extraction (SPE). The SPE mechanism is based on physicochemical interactions between sorbents, analytes, and solvents. All steps of SPE were performed: conditioning, sample application, drying of sorbent, elution, nitrogen drying of extract and reconstitution.
Twenty-three samples were analyzed, including analytes categorized into industrial chemicals, food additives, UV filters, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides.
Pollutants such as ramipril, telmisartan, simvastatin, rosuvastatin, moxifloxacin, cycloxydim, diflufenican, pirmicarb, acetamiprid, octocrylene, neotame, cyclamate, avobenzone, acesulfame, caffeine, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole, tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate, and tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate were determined.
Before the extraction of samples, breakthrough volume of SPE was determined to achieve the highest possible volume for better preconcentration. Sample volumes of 250, 350, and 500 mL were tested, with the highest efficiency observed for 250 mL and the lowest for 500 mL. A volume of 350 mL was chosen as the optimal for all analytes.
Reproducibility of recoveries were determined at a volume of 350 mL, with the best recoveries observed for caffeine, ramipril and neotame, and the worst for 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, cycloxide and octocrylene with recoveries at 0%.
Analysis of real samples showed that caffeine concentration primarily indicates the anthropogenic impact on the river. The sample with the highest concentration of pollutants was taken before the Hubelj tributary flows into the Vipava River. Among the more polluted samples were those taken at the point where Hubelj flows into the river and near the wastewater treatment plant.
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