In this work, bamboo charcoal was used as solid-phase extraction adsorbent for the enrichment of six perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in environmental water samples before liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. The specific porous structure, high specific surface area, high porosity, and stability of bamboo charcoal were characterized. Several experimental parameters which considerably affect extraction efficiency were investigated and optimized in detail. The experimental data exhibited low limits of detection (LODs) (0.01-1.15 ng/L), wide linear range (2-3 orders of magnitude and R ≥ 0.993) within the concentration range of 0.1-1000 ng/L, and good repeatability (2.7-5.0%, n = 5 intraday and 4.8-8.3%, n = 5 interday) and reproducibility (5.3-8.0%, n = 3). Bamboo charcoal was successfully used for the enrichment and determination of PFAAs in real environmental water samples. The bamboo charcoal-based solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis possessed great potential in the determination of trace PFAA levels in environmental water samples.
Keywords: bamboo charcoal; liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry; perfluoroalkyl acids; solid-phase extraction.