Phenolic contaminants pose a threat to environmental health as they are hazardous compounds that can have carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting effects in organisms. Manganese oxides, which are highly redox active minerals, are abundant in the environment and can oxidize a variety of organic species, including phenols. These minerals can be used in water treatment processes and can aid in the breakdown of these contaminants in environmental systems. Studies of this process remain limited in the presence of relevant environmental matrices, particularly dissolved organic matter (DOM). DOM, a heterogenous mixture of organic molecules, is found in all natural and engineered water systems. The chemical composition of DOM, and therefore its reactivity, is a function of its environment. A knowledge gap exists in understanding how diversly composed DOM impacts the oxidation reaction between phenolic contaminants and manganese oxides. Using whole water samples from ten locations, we address this knowledge gap by demonstrating that variability in DOM bulk characteristics and water chemistry can increase, decrease, or have no effect on the reaction rate of phenolic contaminants with acid birnessite. Through targeted kinetic experiments we show that changes in reaction rate for some contaminants in the presence of DOM can be correlated with both bulk water chemistry parameters and measurements of DOM composition. Using high-resolution  mass spectrometry,  we assess the incorporation of brominated contaminants into the organic matter. These mechanistic studies provide important information for the transport and persistence of these contaminants in the environment.

Reaction of organic contaminants with acid birnessite altered by dissolved organic matter and water chemistry

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ACS Fall 2022

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