Fluorescence spectroscopic studies of the effect of granular activated carbon adsorption on structural properties of dissolved organic matter fractions

Abstract

This work investigated the effect of granular activated carbon adsorption (GACA) on fluorescence characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in secondary effluent, by means of excitation–emission matrix (EEM) spectra, the fluorescence regional integration (FRI) method, synchronous spectra, the fluorescence index defined as the ratio of fluorescence emission intensity at wavelength 450 nm to that at 500 nm at excitation (λ_ex)=370 nm, and the wavelength that corresponds to the position of the normalized emission band at its half intensity (λ_0.5). DOM in the secondary effluent from the North Wastewater Treatment Plant (Shenyang, China) was fractionated using XAD resins into 5 fractions: hydrophobic acid (HPO–A), hydrophobic neutral (HPO–N), transphilic acid (TPI–A), transphilic neutral (TPI–N) and hydrophilic fraction (HPI). Results showed that fluorescent materials in HPO–N and TPI–N were less readily removed than those in the other fractions by GACA. The relative content of fluorescent materials in HPO–A, TPI–A and HPI decreased whereas that in HPO–N and TPI–N increased as a consequence of GACA. Polycyclic aromatics in all DOM fractions were preferentially absorbed by GACA, in comparison with bulk DOM expressed as DOC. On the other hand, the adsorption of aromatic amino acids and humic acid-like fluorophores exhibiting fluorescence peaks in synchronous spectra by GACA seemed to be dependent on the acid/neutral properties of DOM fractions. All five fractions had decreased fluorescence indices as a result of GACA. GACA led to a decreased λ_0.5 value for HPO–A, increased λ_0.5 values for HPO–N, TPI–A and HPI, and a consistent λ_0.5 value for TPI–N.

Keywords

granular activated carbon adsorption / dissolved organic matter / fractionation / fluorescence

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21107039 and 50978118), the Science and Technology Research Program of Commission of Education of Liaoning Province (No. 201203) and the Planned Science and Technology Project of Liaoning Province (No. 2011230009).

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2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg