title: Dissolved organic matter from treated effluent of a major wastewater treatment plant: characterization and influence on copper toxicity.
abstract: A combination of reverse osmosis (RO) concentration and DAX-8/XAD-4 resin adsorption techniques is used to isolate the various constituents of urban dissolved organic matter (DOM) from inorganic salts. Three fractions: hydrophobic (HPO), transphilic (TPI) and hydrophilic (HPI) accounting respectively for 35%, 20% and 45% of extracted carbon, are isolated from effluents of a major French wastewater treatment plant. This atypical DOC distribution, in comparison with natural water where the HPO fraction dominates, shows the significance of HPI fraction which often gets neglected because of extraction difficulties. A number of analytical techniques (elemental, spectroscopic: UV, FTIR) allow highlighting the weak aromaticity of wastewater effluent DOM (EfOM) due to fewer degradation and condensation processes and the strong presence of proteinaceous structures indicative of intense microbial activity. Copper toxicity in the presence of DOM is estimated using an acute toxicity test on Daphnia Magna (Strauss). Results reveal the similar protective role of each EfOM fraction compared to reference Suwannee river fulvic acid despite lower EfOM aromaticity (i.e. specific UV absorbance). The environmental implications of these results are discussed with respect to the development of site-specific water quality criteria.
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Est, CEREVE UMR MA 102 - ENPC - ENGREF - Univ Paris 12, 61 av. du Gal de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pernet-Coudrier
authors.forename: Ludiwine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Clouzot
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Varrault
authors.forename: Marie-Hélène
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Tusseau-Vuillemin
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verger
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Mouchel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003300:Copper / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D003621:Daphnia / Q000187:drug effects; D018675:Toxicity Tests; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D003300:Copper