Evaluation of the pollutant interactions between different overlying water and sediment in simulated urban sewer system by excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy.

The water quality in the sewer systems can be significantly influenced by the interaction between sediment and overlying water, which are still many doubts about the impact of pollutants transformation, degradation sequence, and reaction time. In this study, the exchanging processes between sewer sediment and four different overlying waters were evaluated in simulated urban sewer systems (dark and anaerobic environments). Dissolved organic matter (DOM) was used as an indicator to reflect the mitigation and exchange processes of pollutants. Excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) as an effective method for deciphering DOM properties was applied. There are three findings: (1) Three main processes (biological degradation, desorption, and adsorption) happened in the simulated sewer systems, in which the predominant pathway in the interaction process is biological degradation though consuming amino acid components. (2) The characteristics of overlying water could induce significant changes in sediment signatures; the amino acid-like components are more susceptible to degradation, and the humic-like compositions are more readily absorbed by sediments. (3) The reaction time is another significant factor (14 days was the turning point of the processes). This study unravels the transformation processes in sediment and different overlying waters, which provides the theoretical foundation for urban sewer efficient management and operation.

Revealing the characteristics of dissolved organic matter in urban runoff at three typical regions via optical indices and molecular composition.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a major role in ecological systems and influences the fate and transportation of many pollutants. Despite the significance of DOM, understanding of how environmental and anthropogenic factors influence its composition and characteristics is limited, especially in urban stormwater runoff. In this article, the chemical properties (pollutant loads, molecular weight, aromaticity, sources, and molecular composition) of DOM in stormwater extracted from three typical end-members (traffic, residential, and campus regions) were characterized by UV-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy combined with parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC), and ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). There are three findings: (1) The basic properties of DOM in stormwater runoff varied obviously from three urban fields, and the effect of initial flush was also apparent. (2) The DOM in residential areas mainly came from autochthonous sources, while allochthonous sources primarily contributed to the DOM in traffic and campus areas. However, it was mainly composed of terrestrial humic-like components with CHO and CHON element composition and HULO and aliphatic formulas. (3) The parameters characterizing DOM were primarily related to terrestrial source and aromaticity, but their correlations varied. Through the combination of optical methods and UPLC-Q-TOF spectrometry, the optical and molecular characteristics of rainwater are effectively revealed, which may provide a solid foundation for the classification management of stormwater runoff in different urban regions.