Extraction kinetics of solid phase extraction of dissolved organic matter in environmental samples from various aquatic system

Progress has been made towards optimizing extracting dissolved organic matter (DOM) using a styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer (PPL) sorbent, which is a widely used solid phase extraction (SPE) method to separate DOM from different aquatic samples. To establish the suitable extraction conditions, the effects of critical SPE variables such as loading mass, concentration, flow rate, as well as the extraction selectivity of the PPL sorbent have been systematically studied. Tens liters of water samples were collected from various aquatic environments, including headwater, downstream river water, coastal seawater, surface seawater from open ocean, seawater from open ocean at the depth of fluorescence maximum, and deep ocean water. 5g-Bond Elut PPL columns were used and the extraction kinetics of DOM were monitored liter-by-liter while extraction. Fluorescence spectrum were decomposed into their underlying chemical components resolved by PARAllel FACtor analysis (PARAFAC). Extraction selectivity of the PPL sorbent among different types of waters was verified through those fluorescence excitation emission matrices (EEMs) and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) measurements.