A gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) system for trace contaminant of emerging concern (TCEC) research

所要求的气相色谱串联质谱（GC- MS/MS）系统支持三个环境工程的必要设备要求。工程学院的教员。（SoE）在不列颠哥伦比亚大学（UBC）的奥肯那根校区（UBCO）。该团队旨在了解传统和先进的水和废水处理厂（WWTP）工艺中新出现的遗留微量污染物（TCEC，例如药品/个人护理产品、阻燃剂、农药、二恶英和呋喃）和消毒副产物（dbp）的命运/行为。至关重要的是，它们必须准确量化，以符合正在考虑的工厂废水和生物固体流的法规，以扩大和新建处理设施。正在进行的项目的时机至关重要，因为大温哥华地区的液体废物服务部正在开发新工厂（即北岸污水处理厂、西北兰利污水处理厂、爱奥纳岛污水处理厂），并考虑升级其他两个现有工厂（即Lulu和Annacis岛污水处理厂的新厌氧沼气池）。这意味着未来15年的资本基础设施投资将接近40亿美元，通过IRC计划和所需的GC-MS/MS，研究结果可以为关键决策提供信息。该团队迫切需要一种先进的高灵敏度GC- MS/MS系统，以便在低定量限下获得准确的化学，生化和环境化合物定量，优选十亿分之一（ppb）或低于欧盟和北美报告的TCEC和DBPs水平。以我们现有的设备，这是不可能的。该设备将支持高素质人员（HQP）的培训，并使由于附近无法使用GC-MS/MS，许多工业和市政合作伙伴无法实现的潜在项目和合作伙伴关系成为可能。由于缺乏气相色谱-质联用/质联用设备，我们失去了与奥肯那根省工业合作伙伴的多个合作机会（例如，奥肯那根北部和中部地区，卑诗省第一民族卫生管理局），并造成了重大的研究中断，包括HQP没有得到培训，学生毕业和出版的延误。这三名共同研究者目前监督着大约30名HQP，该仪器的培训潜力可高达50名HQP，包括SoE和理学院内潜在用户团队中的研究人员。校园内的GC-MS/MS设备将允许对几乎所有遗留的TCEC、dbp和生化化合物进行高效、可重复和及时的定量（与现有的分析设备相结合）。通过该设备获得的技能将有助于HQP在私营和公共部门的各种工程和科学学科中获得处理环境，生化和药物样品分析的工作（例如AECOM， Bureau Veritas, ALS Labs）。

The requested gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC--MS/MS) system supports an imperative equipment requirement of three Environmental Eng. faculty in the School of Eng. (SoE) at the University of British Columbia (UBC)'s Okanagan Campus (UBCO). The team aims to understand the fate/behaviour of legacy trace contaminants of emerging concern (TCEC; e.g., pharmaceuticals/personal care products, flame retardants, pesticides, dioxins, and furans) and disinfection-by-products (DBPs) in conventional and advanced water and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) processes. It is vital that they are accurately quantified to comply with regulations under consideration for plant effluent and biosolids streams for expansions and new treatment facilities. Timing of on-going projects is crucial as Metro Vancouver's Liquid Waste Services Department is developing new plants (i.e., North shore WWTP, Northwest Langley WWTP, Iona Island WWTP) and considering upgrades to the other two existing plants (i.e., new anaerobic digesters at Lulu and Annacis Island WWTPs). This is approaching $4 billion of capital infrastructure investment over the next 15 years, and key decisions can be informed by the findings significantly enhanced through the IRC program and the requested GC-MS/MS. The team urgently needs an advanced GC--MS/MS system with high sensitivity to obtain accurate quantification of chemical, biochemical, and environmental compounds at low limit of quantitation, preferable parts per billion (ppb) or lower as per European Union and North American reporting level of TCEC and DBPs. This is currently impossible with our existing equipment. The equipment will support the training of highly qualified personnel (HQP) and enable the potential projects and partnerships that are out of reach for many industrial and municipal partners due to the unavailability of a GC-MS/MS in the vicinity. The lack of a GC-MS/MS on our campus has resulted in the loss of multiple collaboration opportunities with industrial partners in the Okanagan (e.g., Regional Districts of the North and Central Okanagan, BC First Nations Health Authority) and has caused significant research interruptions, including HQP not being trained and delays to students' graduations and publications. The three co-investigators currently supervise approximately 30 HQP and the training potential of the instrument can be as high as 50 HQP including the researchers in the teams of the potential users within the SoE and the Faculty of Sciences. Having an GC-MS/MS facility on Campus will allow the efficient, repeatable, and timely quantification of nearly all legacy TCEC, DBPs and biochemical compounds (in tandem with existing analytical facilities). The skills gained with this equipment will help HQP to secure jobs in the private and public sector in various engineering and science disciplines dealing with analysis of environmental, biochemical and pharmaceutical samples (e.g. AECOM, Bureau Veritas, ALS Labs).