Fluorescence excitation/emission matrices as a tool to monitor the removal of organic micropollutants from wastewater effluents by adsorption onto activated carbon

Monitoring the removal of organic micropollutants (OMPs) in advanced wastewater treatment facilities requires expensive and time-consuming analytical methods that cannot be installed online. Spectroscopic techniques such as fluorescence excitation/emission spectroscopy were demonstrated to offer potential for monitoring OMPs conventional plants or ozonation pilots but their application activated carbon (AC) adsorption processes was only investigated at lab scale not real facilities. In this study, indexes from emission/excitation matrices (EEMs) used find correlations with 28 a large-scale AC pilot fluidized bed employed treatment, well batch experiments. Differences could observed depending on operational conditions (i.e. experiments, contact time, type AC) physico-chemical properties molecules. 7 PARAFAC components derived EEMs 60 samples obtained before after adsorption. Positive between most OMPs, correlation coefficients much higher than ones UV254, confirming interesting accurately monitor performances industrial scale. The highest having best removals while refractory adsorption, interactions DOM, exhibited weak correlations. These results suggest fluorescing DOM subsequent co-adsorption onto origin found. Lower also found biodegradable which indicated occurrence biological effects make these compounds more challenging.