Determination of ADH in textiles using the HPLC-MS/MS method and the study of its adsorption behaviour towards formaldehyde

Abstract

In the textile industry, formaldehyde-based resins are used as finishers to make the fabrics crease-resistant, which are the main source of formaldehyde in textiles. In our practical study, there are cases that prove that textile products containing adipic dihydrazide (ADH) will continuously adsorb formaldehyde from the surrounding environment during storage. In this study, a high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was established for the precise determination of ADH in textiles. The method was optimized in terms of instrument conditions, extraction temperature, extraction time, and extraction mode. Under optimum test conditions, ADH was determined precisely with the linearity range of 0.05–2 mg L⁻¹ and correlation coefficient (R²) of 0.9993. Recovery rate and repeatability were tested; the data showed that the recovery rate of ADH in textiles was in the range of 85–100%, and the RSD (relative standard deviation) was less than 10%. The ADH-positive textile samples were placed in designed environments for some time to adsorb formaldehyde. The adsorbed amounts of formaldehyde in the textile samples first increase and then decrease with time. The maximum amount of formaldehyde a sample can adsorb increases with an increase in its ADH content and will stop increasing once its ADH content exceeds 1700 mg kg⁻¹. The placement environment has a little effect on the maximum adsorption capacity of the samples towards formaldehyde, but can significantly affect the adsorption rate and equilibrium adsorption capacity.