Dissolved Organic Matter Photoreactivity Is Determined by Its Optical Properties, Redox Activity, and Molecular Composition
Stephanie M. Berg, Kristine H. Wammer, Christina K. Remucal
Abstract
Predicting the formation of photochemically produced reactive intermediates (PPRI) during the irradiation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) has remained challenging given the complex nature of this material and differences in PPRI formation mechanisms. We investigate the role of DOM composition in photoreactivity using 48 samples that span the range of DOM in freshwater systems and wastewater. We relate quantum yields for excited triplet-state organic matter ( f TMP ), singlet oxygen (Φ 1 O 2 ), and hydroxylating species (Φ • OH ) to DOM composition determined using spectroscopy, Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, and electron-donating capacity (EDC). f TMP and Φ 1 O 2 follow similar trends and are correlated with bulk properties derived from UV–vis spectra and EDC. In contrast, no individual bulk property can be used to predict Φ • OH . At the molecular level, the subset of DOM that is positively correlated to both Φ • OH and EDC is distinct from DOM formulas related to Φ 1 O 2, demonstrating that • OH and 1 O 2 are formed from different DOM fractions. Multiple linear regressions are used to relate quantum yields of each PPRI to DOM composition parameters derived from multiple techniques, demonstrating that complementary methods are ideal for characterizing DOM because each technique only samples a subset of DOM.