Workshop on Wastewater Analysis: Efficient Analysis of Wastewater by Advanced Mass Spectrometry Techniques

Municipal wastewater, treated and untreated, can provide tremendous information on biomarkers of disease outbreaks, estimate consumption of illicit drugs, and ecosystem exposure to hazardous chemicals. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) have been used in the analysis of pollutants in wastewater, as well as in wastewater-based epidemiology. This workshop will explore the progress and challenges in the detection and identification of trace contaminants, such as pesticides, illicit drugs, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, persistent organic chemicals, endocrine disrupting compounds, and microorganisms in wastewater matrices.

In this workshop, led by Ahmed Hamid of Auburn University and Diana Aga of the University at Buffalo, the topic will be introduced through data-blitz presentations by early-career scientists, followed by a discussion led by panelists with relevant expertise. The primary goal is to stimulate thoughts and share recent experiences utilizing various instrumental platforms for targeted and non-targeted analysis of various types of analytes and their metabolites in wastewater matrices, as well as in activated sludge from wastewater treatment plants. Additional points of discussion are likely to include the use of portable mass spectrometers, applications of ion mobility MS, development of libraries for contaminants, advances in sample preparation, and identification of transformation products resulting from wastewater treatment processes. This workshop should be of special interest to those involved in environmental applications.

This workshop will be held in Auditorium 1 from 5:45 pm to 7:00 pm CST.