Direct Photolysis of Sulfamethoxazole Using Various Irradiation Sources and Wavelength Ranges—Insights from Degradation Product Analysis and Compound-Specific Stable Isotope Analysis

The environmental micropollutant sulfamethoxazole (SMX) is susceptible to phototransformation by sunlight and UV-C light which is used for water disinfection. Depending on the environmental pH conditions SMX may be present as neutral or anionic species. This study systematically investigates the phototransformation of these two relevant SMX species using four different irradiation scenarios, i.e., a low, medium, and high pressure Hg lamp and simulated sunlight. The observed phototransformation kinetics are complemented by data from compound-specific stable isotope and transformation product analysis using isotope-ratio and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Observed phototransformation kinetics were faster for the neutral than for the anionic SMX species (from 3.4 (LP lamp) up to 6.6 (HP lamp) times). Furthermore, four phototransformation products (with m/z 189, 202, 242, and 260) were detected by HRMS that have not yet been described for direct photolysis of SMX. Isotopic fractionation occurred on...