1. New insights to MIEX treatment: Fluorescence spectra across synthetic, natural and waste waters
Pedro Palomino & Treavor H. Boyer
Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences
University of Florida Gainesville, FL
1

2. Natural Organic Matter
Formation

• Degradation of Terrestrial and Microbial matter
• 3. Large, complex and not fully understood

Problems

• Formation of Disinfection by-Products
• 4. Membrane fouling
• 5. Increased chemical requirements

Natural Organic Matter
vanLoon and Duffy, Environmental Chemistry
Treatment options

• Coagulation, Activated Carbon, Ion Exchange

2

6. Magnetic Ion Exchange Resin
3
NOM
-
Structure

• Magnetic Iron Oxide aids in settling
• 7. Large surface area

Process

• Fluidized bed
• 8. Short mixing times
• 9. Regeneration

Cl-
Cl-
Cl-
MIEX
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Cl-
Cl-
+
+
+
+
+
+
Cl-
Cl-
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Cl-
Cl-
NOM
-
Cl-

10. MIEX Monitoring
4
Completely Mixed Flow Reactor
Current methods

• DOC - Expensive and less reliable
• 11. UV - Simple and reliable, but small data set

Raw
Treated
DOC
DOC
UV
UV
Could fluorescence be used as an alternative for both measurements?

12. Goals and Objectives
5
Compare the impact of MIEX treatment on the fluorescence spectra across Surface, Ground, Synthetic & Waste waters?
Understand the shift in fluorescence peak location
Compare dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to fluorescence intensity
Compare specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA) to fluorescence index (FI)

13. Sampling
6
2 surface waters

• 10 30 mg-C/L

1 groundwater

• 5 6 mg-C/L

4 synthetic waters

• 4 6 mg-C/L
• 14. Isolates of NOM

5 leachates

• 300 1300 mg-C/L

Savannah
St. Marys River
Putnam
Landfill
New River Landfill
Santa Fe River
St. Johns River
Alachua SW Landfill
Cedar Key Ground Water
Sanford Ave. Canal
Polk Landfill
Wikimapia.com

15. Experiments
7

16. Analysis
8
DOC and UV

• SUVA = UV/DOC

Fluorescence Spectrophotometer

• Excitation: 220 - 500 nm
• 17. Emission: 220 - 600 nm

MatLab

• In-house Program: DI subtraction, normalize by raman & FI
• 18. FI = Intensity at EM470/EM520 @ EX370
• 19. No inner filter correction & cut out Rayleigh lines
• 20. Peak Shift: Location and Intensity

Fluorescence Spectrophotometer

21. Defining Peak Locations
9
500
Rayleigh
Line
390
350
Excitation (nm)
Terrestrial
Microbial
220
600
220
350
390
Emission (nm)

22. Source Regions
10
Microbial
Terrestrial
FI = 1.6
FI = 2.1
IHSS Isolate of NOM from Suwannee River
Ichnetucknee Spring

23. Peak Shift
11
Raw

• Microbial: (345,225) & (345,280)
• 24. Terrestrial: (415,240) & (450,260)

Treated

• Shift to shorter emission wavelengths

Conclusion

• MIEX treatment changes the NOM chemistry