One-step fluorometric determination of multiple-component dissolved organic matter in aquatic environments

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is ubiquitous in aqueous environments and is composed of different components that play different but important roles in the migration and the fate of pollutants, emergence of the disinfect byproduct, thus requiring quantitative characterization. However, until now, simultaneous quantification of the main contents in DOM, i.e., saccharides, proteins, and humic substances, has been difficult, impeding us from understanding and predicting the environmental behaviors of typical pollutants. In this work, a fluorescence approach based on the exci-tation emission matrix (EEM), combined with a new algorithm, denoted matrix reconstruction coupled with prior lin-ear decomposition (MR-PLD), was developed to quantify multiple DOM simultaneously. First, a set of simulated water samples consisting of glucose, tryptones, and humic acid (HA) were analyzed using MR-PLD to validate the feasibility of the method. The DOM components could be reliably determined with a higher accuracy than parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) and Parallel Factor Framework-Linear Regression (PFFLR), also with a more convenient procedure than conventional PLD. Second, both actual simulated and experimental methods were performed to test the anti -interference performance of MR-PLD, indicating that the quantification of DOM would not be significantly impacted by other fluorophores. Finally, several actual water samples from natural waters and wastewater treatment plants were also analyzed to confirm the robustness of this method in actual aqueous environments. This study provides a new approach to characterize DOM with EEM, contributing to its convenient concentration monitoring and the further exploration of the environmental impacts.

Automated summary

In this study, a new fluorescence approach based on excitation emission matrix (EEM), combined with a new algorithm called matrix reconstruction coupled with prior linear decomposition (MR-PLD), was developed to simultaneously quantify multiple dissolved organic matter (DOM) components. The method was validated using simulated water samples and showed higher accuracy and convenience compared to other methods. The anti-interference performance of MR-PLD was also tested using both simulated and experimental methods. Real water samples from natural waters and wastewater treatment plants were analyzed to confirm the method's robustness. This study provides a new approach for characterizing DOM and exploring its environmental impacts.