Tracking changes in the optical properties and molecular composition of dissolved organic matter during drinking water production
By E.E. Lavonen, D.N. Kothawala, L.J. Tranvik, M. Gonsior, P. Schmitt- Kopplin, S.J. Köhler
“Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in inland waters is a complex, heterogeneous mixture of natural organic compounds of both terrigenous and aquatic origin. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations are increasing in surface waters…a major source of drinking water. Because the increasing DOM levels were not considered when many water treatment plants (WTPs) were constructed, the industry is currently struggling to manage sufficient DOM removal in order to maintain a high drinking water quality…” The authors analyzed the dissolved organic matter composition during drinking water production, and combined common optical analytical techniques with ultra-high resolution MS. Spectroscopic parameters were correlated to chemical formulas using rank correlation. Differential fluorescence was useful to visualise removal of different types of FDOM.
