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Published on: February 3, 2021
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Assessment of field fluorometers.
A Gutierrez1, Y Zhang1, A Assaad1
1Laboratoire Réactions et Génie des Procédés - CNRS, Université de Lorraine, 1 rue Grandville, BP 20451, 54001 Nancy cedex, France
Summary
Field fluorometers accurately measured tryptophan-like substances in wastewater. However, natural organic matter (NOM) measurements showed variability, indicating the need for further analysis of NOM diversity in water quality monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Water Quality Monitoring
Background:
- Untreated or poorly treated urban sewage significantly impacts water bodies.
- Characterizing water quality requires reliable methods for assessing organic matter.
- Field fluorometers offer potential for real-time water quality assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the performance of two field fluorometers for water sample characterization.
- To compare field fluorometer data with bench-top fluorometer measurements.
- To assess the reliability of field fluorometers in detecting natural organic matter (NOM) and tryptophan-like substances in sewage-impacted waters.
Main Methods:
- Testing of two field fluorometers (NOM and tryptophan-specific) on 263 water samples.
- Comparison of field fluorometer results with bench-top spectrofluorometer measurements.
- Analysis of fluorescence intensity at specific excitation/emission wavelengths (285/335 nm for tryptophan, 355/405 nm for NOM).
Main Results:
- Both field fluorometers provided consistent results for discrete samples.
- A strong nonlinear correlation (R²=0.98) was observed between field tryptophan measurements and bench-top fluorescence.
- A weaker linear correlation (R²=0.63) was found for NOM, suggesting variability in NOM composition.
Conclusions:
- Field fluorometers are reliable for quantifying tryptophan-like substances in impacted waters.
- The variability in NOM field measurements may stem from the diverse nature of NOM.
- Further investigation into NOM diversity is recommended for improved water quality assessment using field fluorometry.
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