The limited facilitating effect of dissolved organic matter extracted from organic wastes on the transport of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in acidic saturated porous media

Abstract

The complexity of natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) motivates the determination of how DOM from diverse sources affects the environmental behaviors of engineered nanoparticles. Here, three types of DOM, DOM extracted from swine manure (SWDOM), sludge (SLDOM) and sediment (SEDOM), were characterized, and their effects on the transport of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs, 30 nm in diameter) were evaluated and compared with those of humic acid (HA). Characterization tests showed differences in the aromaticity and weight-average molecular weight (Mw) properties among the three extracted DOM solutions, and greater distinctions were found between the extracted DOM and HA. All the extracted DOM facilitated TiO2 NPs transport in acidic porous media. Nevertheless, the enhancing effects varied among the different extracted DOM types. SWDOM had a promoting effect on TiO2 NPs mobility that was equivalent to that of SEDOM and much higher than that of SLDOM. However, the facilitating effects of all three extracted DOM types were limited compared to that of HA. Based on the combined analysis of DOM properties and TiO2 NPs transport behaviors, it could be concluded that aromaticity and Mw were the key properties determining the limited promoting effects of DOM on TiO2 NPs mobility, and the specific UV absorbance at 280 nm (normalized by concentration, SUVA280) was a facile and useful indicator of the DOM-promoted transport of TiO2 NPs. These findings revealed that transport potential in the presence of DOM would be overestimated if either HA or fulvic acid were chosen as the DOM model in studies.