INFLUENCE OF METHOD FOR REMOVAL OF SESTON ON THE DISSOLVED ORGANIC MATTER(1)

Comparisons of various methods and method modifications for treating water samples to render them free of seston prior to analysis of dissolved organic matter have corroborated a number of suspected sources of error. Among the more important points arising from this study arc: 1. All cellulose ester filters must be washed to remove elutable carbon. 2. In some instances filtration to dryness may produce artifacts resulting from cell injury. 3. A significant difference in filter retention can result between 0.45 and 0.22 μ membranes. 4. Among the methods most satisfactory are wet filtration through 0.22 μ pre-washed Millipore membranes and continuous-flow centrifugation at ca. 10,000 x g and 100 cc/min flow rate, both of which have their inherent weaknesses and limitations. 5. Regular centrifugation does not remove some planktonic organisms which have considerable buoyancy, or organic substances may somehow be released by cells without producing morphological damage. The newly developed bio dialysis technique for dissolved organic matter collection consistently yielded lower values than continuous-flow centrifugation. In contrast, biodialysis yielded lower values for pond water and higher values for Scenedesmus cultures than the best filtration method. Evidence suggests that biodialysis will be useful as both a supplementary and, in some zuays, more accurate method in studies of dissolved organic matter.