Dissolved organic matter (DOM) has a dual role in indirect phototransformations of aquatic contaminants by acting both as a photosensitizer and an inhibitor. Herein, the pH dependence of the inhibitory effect of DOM and the underlying mechanisms were studied in more than 400 kinetic irradiation experiments over the pH range of 6-11. Experiments employed various combinations of one of three DOM isolates, one of two model photosensitizers, the model antioxidant phenol, and one of nine target compounds (TCs), comprising several aromatic amines, in particular anilines and sulfonamides, and 4-cyanophenol.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs normal inhabitants of diverse ecosystems, including the human gastrointestinal tract, the enterococci, and especially the two species Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium, can be considered ubiquitous with regard to our natural environment. E. faecium has gained special importance thanks to beneficial strains marketed as probiotics, and because of its beneficial role in traditional fermented foods such as artisanal cheeses in some Southern European countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDissolved organic matter (DOM) is both a promoter and an inhibitor of triplet-induced organic contaminant oxidation. This dual role was systematically investigated through photochemical experiments with three types of DOM of terrestrial and aquatic origins that were preoxidized to varying extents by ozonation. The inhibitory effect of DOM was assessed by determining the 4-carboxybenzophenone photosensitized transformation rate constants of two sulfonamide antibiotics (sulfamethoxazole and sulfadiazine) in the presence of untreated or preoxidized DOM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTwo aquatic fulvic acids and one soil humic acid were irradiated to examine the resulting changes in the redox and photochemical properties of the humic substances (HS), the relationship between these changes, and their relationship to changes in the optical properties. For all HS, irradiation caused photooxidation, as shown by decreasing electron donating capacities. Photooxidation was accompanied by decreases in specific UV absorbance and increases in the E2/E3 ratio (254 nm absorbance divided by that at 365 nm).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn water treatment dissolved organic matter (DOM) is typically the major sink for chemical oxidants. The resulting changes in DOM, such as its optical properties have been measured to follow the oxidation processes. However, such measurements contain only limited information on the changes in the oxidation states of and the reactive moieties in the DOM.
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