Stormwater runoff and wastewater effluent are major contributors to heavy metal pollution in our environment. Dissolved heavy metals are mostly found as metal-organic complexes. Several studies have revealed significant differences in organic matter (OM) in various aquatic environments, resulting in differences in the metal binding interactions. Understanding the fate and transport of heavy metals, including the efficiency of treatment processes such as adsorption, requires an understanding of the OM composition in the specific aquatic environment. Spectroscopic techniques such as Ultraviolet Visible Absorption Spectroscopy and Fluorescence Emission Excitation Spectroscopy are able to identify whether an OM pool is allochthonous (terrestrial origins) or autochthonous (microbial origins). These techniques have also been used to classify the hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity and aromaticity of OM. In addition, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy has revealed that OM contains functional groups such as carboxylics, phenolics, amides, amines, hydroxyls, etc.
While these techniques are useful in identifying the differences in an OM pool in various environments, they do not provide the molecular information needed for identifying and characterizing specific organic compounds. The knowledge of the unique compounds in an OM mixture will enhance our understanding of metal-organic interactions and improve existing treatment practices. This level of characterization can be achieved using advanced mass spectrometry techniques such as Liquid Chromatography coupled with Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (LC-ESIMS) in a practice referred to as untargeted metabolomics. This presentation focuses on the use of untargeted metabolomics to identify and characterize unique metal binding ligands in WWOM, SWOM and river OM (ROM).
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 Identification and Characterization of Organic Compounds Present in Different Sources of Organic Matter Using Untargeted Metabolomics | 1.93 MB |