TY - JOUR
T1 - Thermal quenching fluorescence properties of dissolved organic matter
AU - Baker, Andrew
PY - 2005/10/6
Y1 - 2005/10/6
N2 - The fluorescence excitation-emission matrices of dissolved organic matter (DOM) are investigated between 10 and 45 degrees C for river and waste waters and organic matter standards. With increased temperature, fluorescence intensity is quenched. It is demonstrated that for a range of river and wastewater samples, that tryptophan-like fluorescence exhibits a greater range of quenching (between 20+/-4% and 35+/-5%) than fulvic-like fluorescence (19+/-4 to 26+/-3%) over this temperature range. Humic substance standards exhibit similar fulvic-like (23+/-4%) fluorescence thermal quenching properties to river water samples (23+/-3%); however none of the samples exhibit quenching of tryptophan-like fluorescence to the same extent as the tryptophan standards (approximately 50%). Thermal fluorescence quenching is related to the exposure of the fluorophores to the heat source; our findings suggest that the tryptophan-like groups within DOM is more exposed in untreated wastewaters than in treated wastewaters riverine DOM. Thermal fluorescence properties have the potential to be used to source DOM, to provide additional chemical structural information, to temperature correct laser-induced remotely sensed DOM fluorescence, and to characterise DOM through the wastewater treatment process.
AB - The fluorescence excitation-emission matrices of dissolved organic matter (DOM) are investigated between 10 and 45 degrees C for river and waste waters and organic matter standards. With increased temperature, fluorescence intensity is quenched. It is demonstrated that for a range of river and wastewater samples, that tryptophan-like fluorescence exhibits a greater range of quenching (between 20+/-4% and 35+/-5%) than fulvic-like fluorescence (19+/-4 to 26+/-3%) over this temperature range. Humic substance standards exhibit similar fulvic-like (23+/-4%) fluorescence thermal quenching properties to river water samples (23+/-3%); however none of the samples exhibit quenching of tryptophan-like fluorescence to the same extent as the tryptophan standards (approximately 50%). Thermal fluorescence quenching is related to the exposure of the fluorophores to the heat source; our findings suggest that the tryptophan-like groups within DOM is more exposed in untreated wastewaters than in treated wastewaters riverine DOM. Thermal fluorescence properties have the potential to be used to source DOM, to provide additional chemical structural information, to temperature correct laser-induced remotely sensed DOM fluorescence, and to characterise DOM through the wastewater treatment process.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=27544506081&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.watres.2005.08.023
DO - 10.1016/j.watres.2005.08.023
M3 - Article
C2 - 16213540
SN - 1879-2448
VL - 39
SP - 4405
EP - 4412
JO - Water Research
JF - Water Research
ER -