Structural and optical characterization of dissolved organic matter from the lower Athabasca River, Canada

► Chemical composition of DOM collected upstream and near oil sands development. ► Aliphatic and carbohydrate structures appear to be dominant in 1H NMR spectra. ► A change in land use may be responsible for the differences in DOM composition. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a ubiquitous constitue...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemosphere (Oxford) 2012-05, Vol.87 (8), p.932-937
Main Authors: Guéguen, Céline, Burns, Darcy C., McDonald, Alison, Ring, Brooke
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
1H NMR
Aluminum - chemistry
Aromatic
Benzopyrans - chemistry
Canada
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
EEM
Exact sciences and technology
Geochemistry
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Hydrology
Hydrology. Hydrogeology
Iron - chemistry
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Mineralogy
Optical Phenomena
Organic Chemicals - chemistry
Paramagnetic ion
Petroleum
River DOM
Rivers - chemistry
Silicates
Water geochemistry
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Summary:► Chemical composition of DOM collected upstream and near oil sands development. ► Aliphatic and carbohydrate structures appear to be dominant in 1H NMR spectra. ► A change in land use may be responsible for the differences in DOM composition. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a ubiquitous constituent of natural waters and is comprised of a variety of chemically heterogeneous molecular structures and functional groups. DOM is often considered to be a major ligand for metals in most natural waters and its reactivity is thought to be strongly dependent on its chemical composition and structure. In this study, a combination of UV/visible, emission excitation matrix fluorescence (EEM) and 1H NMR spectroscopies were used to characterize DOM from the Athabasca River (Alberta, Canada). The chemical characterization of river DOM showed that the most upstream samples located in agricultural areas were blue-shifted and less aromatic and contained more hydrogens connected with oxygen functional groups than those in the wetland dominated area in the Athabasca oil sand deposit region. The presence of paramagnetic ions (Fe and Al) was not found to significantly affect the structural composition of DOM as revealed by 1H NMR. Such change in the quality of DOM may have a profound impact on metal binding in the Athabasca River watershed.
ISSN:0045-6535
1879-1298
DOI:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.01.047