Mass spectrometry imaging: an innovative tool for detecting emerging pollutants in treated municipal sludge
Abstract
Today, the management and reuse of treated municipal sludge from wastewater treatment plants address significant economic and environmental challenges. However, their reuse is limited by the presence of a wide range of emerging contaminants including pesticides, phthalates, pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds. This situation highlights the need to develop analytical methods that are sufficiently sensitive and resolutive to detect these compounds and assess the associated risks. Currently, the methods used involve a combination of techniques requiring long and complex sample preparation steps. To this purpose, this study introduces the use of mass spectrometry imaging coupled with a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization source (MALDI-MSI). This technique enables the simultaneous acquisition of spatial and molecular information on thousands of compounds present in biological matrices. To assess the potential of this techniques, treated municipal sludge samples from six wastewater treatment plants representing of different sludge treatment processes were analyzed. The results show that MALDI imaging enable the identification of 6 heavy metals and 367 persistent organic pollutants, of which 59 were confirmed by additional analyses (LC-HRMS and GC-MS/MS). Among the detected compounds were substances of emerging environmental concern, such as phthalates and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are insufficiently covered by conventional analytical methods (LC-HRMS, GC-MS/MS, ICP-MS). Copper quantification also demonstrated the ability of the method to provide quantitative data in addition to spatial information. MALDI imaging thus emerges as a tool for high-throughput screening of emerging pollutants, addressing concerns related to their presence, environmental fate and associated risks, while promoting the reuse of treated municipal sludge with limited risks to environment and human health.
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BibTeX
@article{cerone2026mass,
title = {{Mass spectrometry imaging: an innovative tool for detecting emerging pollutants in treated municipal sludge}},
author = {Alexandra Cerone and Claire Villette and Loïc Maurer and Julie Zumsteg and Adrien Wanko Ngnien and Dimitri Heintz},
journal = {TSM. Techniques Sciences Méthodes},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05853443v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Mass spectrometry imaging: an innovative tool for detecting emerging pollutants in treated municipal sludge
AU - Alexandra Cerone
AU - Claire Villette
AU - Loïc Maurer
AU - Julie Zumsteg
AU - Adrien Wanko Ngnien
AU - Dimitri Heintz
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/08
JO - TSM. Techniques Sciences Méthodes
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05853443v1
AB - Today, the management and reuse of treated municipal sludge from wastewater treatment plants address significant economic and environmental challenges. However, their reuse is limited by the presence of a wide range of emerging contaminants including pesticides, phthalates, pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds. This situation highlights the need to develop analytical methods that are sufficiently sensitive and resolutive to detect these compounds and assess the associated risks. Currently, the methods used involve a combination of techniques requiring long and complex sample preparation steps. To this purpose, this study introduces the use of mass spectrometry imaging coupled with a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization source (MALDI-MSI). This technique enables the simultaneous acquisition of spatial and molecular information on thousands of compounds present in biological matrices. To assess the potential of this techniques, treated municipal sludge samples from six wastewater treatment plants representing of different sludge treatment processes were analyzed. The results show that MALDI imaging enable the identification of 6 heavy metals and 367 persistent organic pollutants, of which 59 were confirmed by additional analyses (LC-HRMS and GC-MS/MS). Among the detected compounds were substances of emerging environmental concern, such as phthalates and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are insufficiently covered by conventional analytical methods (LC-HRMS, GC-MS/MS, ICP-MS). Copper quantification also demonstrated the ability of the method to provide quantitative data in addition to spatial information. MALDI imaging thus emerges as a tool for high-throughput screening of emerging pollutants, addressing concerns related to their presence, environmental fate and associated risks, while promoting the reuse of treated municipal sludge with limited risks to environment and human health.
SN - 0299-7258
SN - 2417-0097
ER -