Constrained by considerations of time and expense, it is impossible to analyze for every individual organic compound contributing to the surrogate total organic carbon (TOC) measurement of contaminants of concern in wastewater. In this research, three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy, also known as excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy, was used to spectrally separate and detect anthropogenic influence in effluent organic matter (EfOM). EEM fluorescence spectroscopy was used to generate maps in which specific spectral signatures of EfOM fluorophores were localized. The approach was used to examine industrial influent and wastewater effluent to determine the key industries that were contributing refractory compounds, that is, those compounds that would pass through the biological treatment process essentially untransformed, at a large wastewater treatment plant in the US. This research showed that the different fluorophore centers in wastewater EEM spectra can be used to characterize the source of inputs to wastewaters. While the EEM method cannot specifically identify the compound or group of compounds that passed through a biological treatment process untransformed, this technique was successfully applied to characterization of wastewater samples for the purposes of identifying industrial contributors to refractory organic matter. This research demonstrated the simplicity of the analytical technique, requiring minimal sample volume and sample treatment. EEM fluorescence spectroscopy is a promising analytical method for detecting contaminants of emerging concern throughout the water cycle. The importance of correcting EEM spectra for second-order Rayleigh scattering, for the Raman spectrum of water, and for primary and secondary inner filtering will be emphasized.

Excitation emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectral separation and detection of refractory wastewater effluent organic matter (EfOM)

248th National Meeting (2014)

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