Comparison in UV-induced photodegradation properties of dissolved organic matters with different origins

Abstract

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is ubiquitous in aquatic environments, whose behaviors and fate are highly related to the chemical compositions and size distribution. In this study, the UV-induced photodegradation properties of DOMs with different origins (i.e., macrophyte- and algae-derived) were investigated using absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy as well as flow field-flow fractionation (FlFFF). Results showed that, irrespective of DOM origins, the chromophoric components could be more effectively photo-degraded than the non-chromophoric ones. Though the two DOMs were characterized with similar fluorophores, the photodegradation properties showed obvious heterogeneities in DOM origins and molecular weights (MWs). Compared to macrophyte-derived DOM (MDOM), the algae-derived DOM (ADOM) exhibited a higher degradation rate and efficiency due to the abundance of labile components like newborn protein-like substances. The FlFFF results revealed a high photo-preferability of 100 kDa-0.45 μm protein-like MDOM and same photo-sensitivity of the size-fractionated humic-like moieties, testifying the reduction of molecular sizes during the photodegradation. However, the increase in relative percentage for 100 kDa-0.45 μm protein-like components and 5–15 kDa humic-like moieties implied a possible enhancement of molecular sizes for ADOM during the early period (i.e., the first hour) of photodegradation. This study provides new insights into the origin-related heterogeneities in compositions and size distribution for DOM transformation.