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Insight into the evolution characteristics on molecular weight of compost dissolved organic matters using high-performance size exclusion chromatography combined with a two-dimensional correlation analysis

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Abstract

The information on molecular weight (MW) characteristics of DOM and relevant evolution behaviors during composting are limited. In this study, DOM extracted from co-composting of chicken manure and rice husks were comprehensively analyzed by using high-performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) combined with a two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D COS) to explore the evolution characteristics of MW of compost DOM. The HPSEC detected at UV of 254 nm and at fluorescence (FL) Ex/Em wavelengths (315/410, 270/455 nm) all showed a gradual increase in both weight-average and number-average MW for DOM, suggesting that the large MW fractions were continuously generated and polymerized during composting. The 2D COS applied on HPSEC-UV and -FL further identified the key active MW chromophoric (i.e., 0.5, 7.2. 9.5, 26.3, 30.7, and 83.9 kDa) and fluorophoric (i.e., 0.55 and 3.5 kDa) molecules that mainly participated in the transformation processes of compost DOM. Moreover, these active MW species were preferentially formed by the order of small to large molecules. A hetero-2D COS analysis disclosed the change sequence in the order of 0.5 and 7.2 kDa chromophores → 3.5 kDa fluorophores, and the 0.55 and 3.5 kDa fluorophores → 26.3 and 83.9 kDa chromophores.

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Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study in this article are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province, China (Grant number 2108085MD140); the Science and Technology Major Project of Anhui Province (Grant number 201903a06020023); the Project Funding for Young Talents in College of Anhui Province (Grant number gxyqZD2021126); and the Natural Science Foundation of the Anhui Provincial Education Department (Grant number KJ2020A0050).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resource and Environment, Anhui Science and Technology University, Fengyang, 233100, People’s Republic of China

    Xufang Yu, Ao Cheng, Dan Chen, Ting Li, Xingjun Fan, Xiang Wang, Wenchao Ji & Jianfei Wang

  2. Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Biochar and Cropland Pollution Prevention, Bengbu, 233400, People’s Republic of China

    Xingjun Fan, Xiang Wang, Wenchao Ji & Jianfei Wang

  3. College of Agronomy, Anhui Science and Technology University, Fengyang, 233100, China

    Lantian Ren

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  1. Xufang Yu
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  2. Ao Cheng
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  4. Ting Li
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Contributions

Xufang Yu: writing—original draft, formal analysis, methodology. Ao Cheng: investigation, software, data curation. Dan Chen: investigation, data curation. Ting Li: investigation. Xingjun Fan: methodology, supervision, funding acquisition, writing—review and editing. Xiang Wang: data curation. Wenchao Ji: software, formal analysis. Jianfei Wang: methodology, writing—review and editing. Lantian Ren: writing—review and editing.

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Correspondence to Xingjun Fan.

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Yu, X., Cheng, A., Chen, D. et al. Insight into the evolution characteristics on molecular weight of compost dissolved organic matters using high-performance size exclusion chromatography combined with a two-dimensional correlation analysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 37197–37207 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-24922-5

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