CONTAMINANTS EMERGING CAFFEINE AND AMOXICILLIN IN THE RIO BRANCO WATERSHED IN CAPITAL BOA VISTA, RORAIMA, EXTREME NORTH OF THE AMAZON
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66104/2ne9nk61Keywords:
emerging contaminants; chromatography; sewage; water resources.Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of the emerging contaminants caffeine and amoxicillin in surface waters of the Rio Branco watershed, in the area adjacent to the capital of the State of Roraima, Boa Vista. To evaluate the presence of these contaminants, two sampling campaigns were conducted during the dry and rainy seasons at seven sampling sites, five located along the Rio Branco River, one at the mouth of the Igarapé Mirandinha, and one at the mouth of the Igarapé Grande. Detection and quantification were performed using high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet diode array detection (HPLC-UV-DAD). The results revealed caffeine concentrations ranging from 97 to 198 µg L⁻¹ and amoxicillin concentrations ranging from 69 to 130.4 µg L⁻¹ in the Rio Branco watershed, with caffeine being more frequently quantified. Higher concentrations were observed at sampling sites P1 and P2, which receive effluent from the municipal wastewater treatment system, and at site P5, which occasionally receives untreated sewage from a wastewater pumping station. This study is the first conducted in Roraima and demonstrates that these sites are impacted by the discharge of these and other potential contaminants not evaluated in this research, highlighting the need for further investigation of emerging contaminants in rivers and streams in Roraima, in the extreme north of the Amazon.
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Copyright (c) 2026 LEOVERGILDO RODRIGUES FARIAS, Jordana Souza Paula Riss, Ana Paula Folmer Correa, Wilson Botelho do Nascimento Filho, Francisco dos Santos Panero, Marcos José Salgado Vital, Karla Dalila Pereira de Souza Matos
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