Optimization of stir bar sorptive extraction applied to the determination of odorous compounds in drinking water.

The off-flavour compounds 2-methylisoborneol (MIB), geosmin, 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, 2,3,6-trichloroanisole, 2,3,4-trichloroanisole and 2,4,6-tribromoanisole were analyzed in water samples by Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) followed by on-line thermal desorption (TD)-capillary GC/MS. Quantification was performed using MS in the single ion monitoring mode (SIM) with 2,4,6-trichloroanisol-D5 as internal standard. Quantification limits are 0.1 ng/l to 0.2 ng/l for the haloanisoles, 0.5 ng/l for geosmin and 1 ng/l for MIB. The relative standard deviations at the quantification limit are ranging from 7 to 14.6%. SBSE-recovery was evaluated by spiking real water samples and varied from 87 to 117%. More than twenty samples per day can be analyzed by SBSE-TD-capillary GC-MS. The same technique in combination with olfactometry was used to elucidate unknown odorous compounds in water samples.