Low to negligible photoactivity of lake-water matter in the size range from 0.1 to 5 μm

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 83; no. 11; pp. 1480 - 1485
• Main Authors: Minella, Marco, Romeo, Fabio, Vione, Davide, Maurino, Valter, Minero, Claudio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: absorption; Adsorption; chemistry; Chemosphere; Dynamic light scattering; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Filtration; Fresh Water; Fresh Water - chemistry; Freshwater; Furfuryl alcohol; Geochemistry; Hydrodynamics; Hydrology; Hydrology. Hydrogeology; Irradiation; Lakes; Mineralogy; Oxidation-Reduction; Oxygen; Oxygen - chemistry; Particle Size; Particulate Matter; Particulate Matter - chemistry; Particulate Matter - radiation effects; Photochemical; Photochemical Processes; Radiation absorption; radiation effects; Scattering; Silicates; Singlet oxygen; Surface-water photochemistry; Trimethylphenol; Ultraviolet Rays; Water geochemistry; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Water Pollutants, Chemical - chemistry; Water Pollutants, Chemical - radiation effects; Trimethylphenol; Dynamic light scattering; Furfuryl alcohol; Particulate matter; Surface-water photochemistry; experimental studies; particulate matters; fresh-water environment; absorption; ultraviolet rays; alcohols; hydrodynamics; filtration; suspended materials; hydrochemistry; photochemistry; lakes; oxygen; size distribution
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2011.02.093

► Photochemical activity of lake water subject to different filtration steps. ► Most of the photoactivity accounted for by components smaller than 0.10 μm. ► Laser light scattering check of the filtration procedures (5, 0.45 and 0.10 μm). ► Filtration at 0.10 μm needed to remove all suspended particles. We found that the photochemical generation of reactive transients such as singlet oxygen and triplet states upon irradiation of different lake water samples is mostly accounted for by components smaller than 0.10 μm. Larger components often showed a much lower absorption and/or scattering of radiation compared with the smaller ones, with one exception where the minor to negligible photochemical activity of larger species was associated with significant radiation absorption/scattering. It is also shown that filtration of the lake water samples at 0.10 μm was able to effectively remove the suspended particles, differently from the usually suggested filtration at 0.45 μm.