The Hyphenation of HPLC with XRF for Universal, Flow-through, Elemental Analysis of Halogenated pollutants

Compounds of environmental concern often comprise halogens or metallic elements. HPLC is broadly implementable for the separation of such species due to its extreme versatility. The most common detectors for HPLC are UV-absorbance and MS. However, the response of both is highly molecule dependent, necessitating authentic molecular standards. XRF has been suggested as a complementary, universal, flow-through detection modality for hyphenation with HPLC. The succesfull hyphenation of HPLC and lab based XRF has been done but experiences limitations in sensitivity. Therefore, in this project, the use of synchrotron radiation will be introduced. This will significantly improve detection limits and provide insights into future possiblities of lab-based HPLC-XRF with improved X-ray sources. HPLC will be performed in two modes: reversed phase chromatography (RPLC) and ion exchange chromatography (IEC) for the analysis of halogenated organic compounds and metals found in e-waste, respectively.