Effects of pyrolysis temperature on proton and cadmium binding properties onto biochar-derived dissolved organic matter: Roles of fluorophore and chromophore

Understanding the environmental behavior of biochar-derived dissolved organic matter (BDOM) is crucial for promoting the extensive utilization of biochar and meeting the carbon neutrality targets. However, limited studies focused on the binding mechanism of protons and Cd with DOM released from biochar produced at different pyrolysis temperatures. By combining excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy and parallel factor analysis, we found that the humic-like fluorophores in BDOM had higher aromaticity, molecular weight, and contents of carboxylic and phenolic groups relative to the protein-like fluorophores. Conversely, the protein-like fluorophores exhibited a stronger binding affinity for Cd than humic-like fluorophores. With the pyrolysis temperature increased from 300 °C to 500 °C, the quenching effects of Cd on the protein-like components were enhanced significantly. Their fluorescence intensities could be quenched up to 51.64%. The results of ultraviolet-visible absorbance spectroscopy and differential absorbance spectroscopy showed that the carboxylic-like and phenolic-like chromophores were involved in the protons and Cd binding process of BDOM. The binding ability of phenolic-like chromophores with Cd was reduced as a function of increasing pyrolysis temperature. These findings implied that these carboxylic and phenolic groups were mainly contained in the non-fluorescent components. Besides, protons and Cd could also induce inter-chromophore interactions in BDOM, and the interaction was proportional to the pyrolysis temperature. These results clearly demonstrated the pyrolysis temperature-dependent changes in the protons and Cd binding properties of BDOM. More importantly, the possible risk of Cd mobility caused by the protein-like components in BDOM cannot be ignored when the biochar was applied in contaminated soils. This research extends our knowledge of the application potentiality of biochar in heavy metal polluted soil.

Comparison of the properties of standard soil and aquatic fulvic and humic acids based on the data of differential absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy

This study compared effects of pH, ionic strength and complexation with Mg²⁺ on the chromophores and fluorophores of aquatic and terrestrial NOM exemplified by the standard isolates Suwannee River fulvic and humic acid (SRFA and SRHA) and Pahokee Peat fulvic and humic acids (PPFA and PPHA) provided by the International Humic Substance Society (IHSS). The intensity of the differential spectra of the NOM isolates increased monotonically with pH. These spectra comprised contributions of similar chromophore systems associated with the carboxylic and phenolic moieties. The intensity of SRFA and PPFA fluorescence changed non-monotonically vs. pH indicating that the deprotonation of the phenolic fluorophores decreased their emission yields. Examination of the effects of pH on the slopes of the log-transformed absorbance of NOM showed that the influence of deprotonation on the conformations of PPFA and PPHA molecules was less prominent than those for SRFA but not dissimilar to those of SRHA. Changes of the differential spectra and spectral slopes showed that Mg²⁺/PPFA and Mg²⁺/PPHA complexation was more effected by electrostatic interactions while the involvement of phenolic groups was notable for SRFA. The observed trends highlight similarities and differences in the properties of the chromophores and fluorophores in the standard isolates of soil and aquatic NOM. These results necessitate further systematic comparison of the properties of NOM isolates and those of unaltered NOM.

Influence of ultrasound on the properties of dissolved organic matter with regards to proton and metal ion binding moieties

Ultrasound is widely used in water and wastewater treatment. However, the influence of ultrasound on the composition and structure of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and consequently its behaviors is still unclear. In this study, the changes in proton and metal binding moieties in DOM caused by ultrasound at an environmentally relevant concentration (about 5 mg·L^-1) were investigated using spectrophotometric titrations. The amounts of carboxylic and phenolic-like groups in DOM before and after ultrasound were quantified by the spectral parameter, Dslope_350-400 (the differential slope of the Log-transformed DOM absorbance in the wavelength region of 350-400 nm) in combination with the non-ideal competitive adsorption (NICA) model. The results demonstrate that the concentration of carboxylic-like sites decreased with an increase in the ultrasound intensity at the same reaction time. However, the concentration of phenolic-like sites increased with an increase in the ultrasound intensity in most cases. The amounts of bound metal Ca(II) and Al(III) ions decreased with an increase of the ultrasound intensity due to the reduction of available total binding sites (carboxylic-like and phenolic-like groups) in the DOM after ultrasound. This study provides detailed in-situ information concerning the changes in the properties and behaviors of DOM in ultrasound, which would be useful to understand in more detail and to optimize the utility of ultrasound in water and wastewater treatment.