Dissolved Organic Matter Conformation and Its Interaction with Pyrene As Affected by Water Chemistry and Concentration

Water chemistry and concentration of dissolved organic matter (DOM) have been reported to affect DOM conformation and binding properties with hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs). However, relationship between DOM conformation and its binding properties remains unclear. We designed a multibag equilibration system (MBES) to investigate the variation of carbon-normalized sorption coefficients (KDOC) of pyrene at different DOM concentrations based on an identical free solute concentration at different pHs and in the presence of Al ions. In addition, we studied the conformation of DOM under different conditions via atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging, dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential measurements. Zeta potential measurements indicated that intra- and intermolecular interaction was facilitated at low pH or with the presence of Al ions, and a more organized molecular aggregate (such as a micelle-like structure) could form, thus, enhancing KDOC. As DOM concentration increased, DOM molecular aggregation was promoted in a way reducing KDOC. This research is a first attempt to correlate DOM conformation with KDOC. Aggregation of DOM molecules resulting from increased zeta potential (less negative) generally led to an increased KDOC. Further study in this area will provide valuable information on HOC-DOM interactions, thus, leading to more accurate predictions of KDOC.