Characterization of noncovalent interactions between 6-propionyl-2-dimethylaminonaphthalene (PRODAN) and dissolved fulvic and humic acids

Influence of natural organic matter on horseradish peroxidase-mediated removal of 17α-ethinylestradiol: Role of molecular weight

Ubiquitous natural organic matter (NOM) plays a crucial role in the peroxidase-mediated transformation of phenolic pollutants in aquatic environment. As a poorly defined polydispersed mixture of assorted organic substances with wide molecular weight (MW) distribution, NOM has far prevented researchers from finding out the primarily responsible components for the specific effect. In this work, MW fractionated NOMs (Mf-NOMs) were used to investigate their roles on horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-mediated transformation of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2). The removal rate of EE2 was restrained in the presence of pristine or Mf-NOMs, and the inhibitory mechanism was MW-dependent. Low Mf-NOMs restrained the enzymatic reaction by acting as competitive substrates, while high Mf-NOMs retained freely dissolved EE2 which reduced its availability for enzymatic reaction. The contribution of these two processes to the inhibition induced by pristine NOM was further quantified and found to be relevant to the reaction conditions, especially EE2 concentration. The findings of this work reveal more complex influences of NOM on the enzymatic reaction than ever demonstrated, which aids in understanding the fate of EE2 and other congener contaminants in natural and municipal water.

Thermodynamic entropy of organic oxidation in the water environment: experimental evaluation compared to semi-empirical calculation

Residual organic matters in the secondary effluent are usually less biodegradable in terms of the total organic carbon content, and when discharged into a receiving water body, their further decomposition most likely mainly occurs due to chemical oxidation. Using this scenario, a semi-empirical method was previously developed to calculate the thermodynamic entropy of organic oxidation to quantitatively evaluate the impact of organic discharge on the water environment. In this study, the relationship between the entropy increase (ΔS_C) and excess organic mass (ΔTOC) was experimentally verified via combustion heat measurement using typical organic chemicals and mixtures. For individual organic chemicals, a linear relationship was detected between ΔS_C and ΔTOC with the same proportionality coefficient, 54.0 kJ/g, determined in the previous semi-empirical relationship. For the organic mixtures, a linear relationship was also identified; however, the proportionality coefficient was 69.2 kJ/g, indicating an approximately 28 % increase in the oxidation heat required to decompose the same organic mass. This increase in energy can likely be attributed to the synergistic effects of hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, π-π interactions, and van der Waals interactions between functional groups of different organic compounds. Intermolecular interactions may result in 17-32 % more dissociation energy for organic mixtures compared to the organic components' chemical structures. Because organics discharged into a water body are always a mixture of organic compounds, the proportionality coefficient obtained using organic mixtures should be adopted to modify the previously proposed semi-empirical equation.

Humic acids: Structural properties and multiple functionalities for novel technological developments

Humic acids (HAs) are macromolecules that comprise humic substances (HS), which are organic matter distributed in terrestrial soil, natural water, and sediment. HAs differ from the other HS fractions (fulvic acid and humins) in that they are soluble in alkaline media, partially soluble in water, and insoluble in acidic media. Due to their amphiphilic character, HAs form micelle-like structures in neutral to acidic conditions, which are useful in agriculture, pollution remediation, medicine and pharmaceuticals. HAs have undefined compositions that vary according to the origin, process of obtainment, and functional groups present in their structures, such as quinones, phenols, and carboxylic acids. Quinones are responsible for the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in HAs, which are useful for wound healing and have fungicidal/bactericidal properties. Phenols and carboxylic acids deprotonate in neutral and alkaline media and are responsible for various other functions, such as the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of HAs. In particular, the presence of phenolic groups in HAs provides antioxidant properties due to their free radical scavenging capacity. This paper describes the main multifunctionalities of HAs associated with their structures and properties, focusing on human health applications, and we note perspectives that may lead to novel technological developments. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review to address this topic from this approach.

Mechanisms of interaction between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and dissolved organic matters

Binding of phenanthrene and fluorene to a number of humic and fulvic substances isolated from various sources as well as a commercially available humic acid, was investigated using a fluorescence quenching approach. The observed fluorescence quenching indicated by linear Stern-Volmer plots and high bimolecular quenching rate constant was induced by a static interaction process. A significant correlation of binding constants with aromaticity and polarity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) was observed. It is hypothesized that the binding of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by DOM is due to both π-π interactions and hydrophobic interactions. In addition, energy transfer from PAHs to DOM occurs because of the significant overlap between the absorbance spectra of DOM and emission spectra of PAHs. Thus, dipole-dipole interaction may also play an important role in the binding mechanism between PAHs and DOM.

Influence of humic acid on the colloidal stability of surface-modified nano zero-valent iron

To enhance colloidal stability of nano zero-valent iron (NZVI) used for groundwater remediation, the surfaces of such NZVI can be modified via coating with organic stabilizers. These surface stabilizers can electrostatically, sterically, or electrosterically stabilize NZVI suspensions in water, but their efficacy is affected by the presence of humic acid (HA) in groundwater. In this study, the effect of HA on the colloidal stability of NZVI coated with three types of stabilizers (i.e., polyacrylic acid (PAA), Tween-20 and starch) was evaluated. Differing stability behaviors were observed for different surface-modified NZVIs (SM-NZVI) in the presence of HA. Fluorescence spectroscopic analysis probed the possible interactions at the SM-NZVI-HA interface, providing a better understanding of the effect of HA on SM-NZVI stability. The adsorption of HA on the surface of PAA-modified NZVI via complexation with NZVI (rather than the PAA stabilizer) enhanced the electrosteric repulsion effect, increasing the stability of the particles. However, for NZVI modified with Tween-20 or starch, HA could interact with the surface stabilizer and apparently play a "bridge" role among the particles, which might induce aggregation of the particles. Therefore, the stability behavior of NZVI modified with Tween-20 or starch might have resulted from the combined effect of "bridging" and "electrosteric" exerted by HA.

Biogeochemical evolution of a landfill leachate plume, Norman, Oklahoma

Leachate from municipal landfills can create groundwater contaminant plumes that may last for decades to centuries. The fate of reactive contaminants in leachate-affected aquifers depends on the sustainability of biogeochemical processes affecting contaminant transport. Temporal variations in the configuration of redox zones downgradient from the Norman Landfill were studied for more than a decade. The leachate plume contained elevated concentrations of nonvolatile dissolved organic carbon (NVDOC) (up to 300 mg/L), methane (16 mg/L), ammonium (650 mg/L as N), iron (23 mg/L), chloride (1030 mg/L), and bicarbonate (4270 mg/L). Chemical and isotopic investigations along a 2D plume transect revealed consumption of solid and aqueous electron acceptors in the aquifer, depleting the natural attenuation capacity. Despite the relative recalcitrance of NVDOC to biodegradation, the center of the plume was depleted in sulfate, which reduces the long-term oxidation capacity of the leachate-affected aquifer. Ammonium and methane were attenuated in the aquifer relative to chloride by different processes: ammonium transport was retarded mainly by physical interaction with aquifer solids, whereas the methane plume was truncated largely by oxidation. Studies near plume boundaries revealed temporal variability in constituent concentrations related in part to hydrologic changes at various time scales. The upper boundary of the plume was a particularly active location where redox reactions responded to recharge events and seasonal water-table fluctuations. Accurately describing the biogeochemical processes that affect the transport of contaminants in this landfill-leachate-affected aquifer required understanding the aquifer's geologic and hydrodynamic framework.

Molecular-level interactions in soils and sediments: the role of aromatic pi-systems

This review intends to deepen our understanding of mechanisms by which molecules with aromatic moieties attach to organic and mineral components of terrestrial environments. We present published evidence for the existence of specific, sorptive interactions of aromatic moieties with environmental sorbents. We find that aromatic pi-systems within organic compounds have the capacity to adsorb to minerals and organic soil and sediment components such as natural organic matter (NOM) and fire-derived black carbon (BC) through specific sorptive forces other than hydrophobic interactions. Polar interactions of aromatic pi-donor and -acceptor compounds show adsorption energies between 4 and 167 kJ mol(-1). Bonding strengths of cation-pi interactions and pi-pi electron donor-acceptor (EDA) interactions appear to be larger than H bonding strengths and comparable to inner- and outer-sphere complex formation. We conclude that, in analogy to polar and ionizable functional groups, components with aromatic pi-donor and -acceptor systems equip organic molecules with a substantial sorptive potential. This observation has important implications for the fate and transport of aromatic contaminants. The resulting sorptive interactions might also play a yet-overlooked functional role in the complex chain of processes which preserve NOM against decomposition.

Influence of cations on noncovalent interactions between 6-propionyl-2-dimethylaminonaphthalene (PRODAN) and dissolved fulvic and humic acids

The influence of cations (Na(+), Ca(2+) and Mg(2+)) on noncovalent interactions between 6-propionyl-2-dimethylaminonaphthalene (PRODAN) and dissolved fulvic acids (FAs) (Norman landfill leachate fulvic acid (NLFA) and Suwannee River fulvic acid (SRFA)) and dissolved humic acids (HAs) (Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA) and Leonardite humic acid (LHA)) was examined using steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy at pH 4, 7 and 10 as a function of cation concentration (up to 25-100mM). Regardless of pH and cation concentration, PRODAN quenching by FA was unaffected by cations. However, interactions between PRODAN and HA decreased in the presence of cations at pH 7 and 10. Cation concentrations below the HA charge density resulted in the greatest decrease of PRODAN quenching, while very little additional decrease in PRODAN quenching occurred at cation concentrations above the HA charge density. This suggests that as the HA carboxylic acid functional groups form inner sphere complexes with divalent cations, intramolecular interactions result in a contraction of the HA molecular structure, thereby preventing PRODAN from associating with the condensed aromatic, electron accepting moieties inherent within HA molecules and responsible for PRODAN quenching. However, once the HA carboxylic acid functional groups are fully titrated with divalent cations, PRODAN quenching is no longer significantly influenced by the further addition of cations, even though these additional cations facilitate intermolecular interactions between the HA molecules to form supramolecular HA aggregates that can continue to increase in size. Regardless of FA and HA type, pH, cation type and concentration, the lack of blue-shifted fluorescence emission spectra indicated that micelle-like hydrophobic regions, amenable to PRODAN partitioning, were not formed by intra- and intermolecular interactions of FA and HA.