Natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) derived from deceased and living organisms influences chemical reactions and contaminant transport in all aquatic systems.  Predicting the fate of DOM and micropollutants in the environment thus depends on measuring DOM abundance and reactivity, but DOM is difficult to measure because it consists of diverse molecules that can’t be isolated or fully characterised. Fluorescence spectroscopy enables rapid and sensitive measurement of dissolved DOM in water, but this approach has been criticised because only a small fraction of NOM molecules emit fluorescence. In this talk I will discuss how despite these limitations, fluorescence spectroscopy in combination with advanced modelling approaches can inform about the bulk composition of NOM in water and help to predict how it will behave in response to physical, chemical and biological processes. Examples will be discussed from natural and engineered systems, focusing on freshwater resources and drinking water treatment plants.

Primary Presenter: Kathleen Murphy, Chalmers University of Technology (murphyk@chalmers.se)

Authors:

Kathleen Murphy, Chalmers University of Technology  (murphyk@chalmers.se)

Urban Wünsch, Technical University of Denmark  (urbw@aqua.dtu.dk)