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Photochemical production of dissolved inorganic carbon from suwannee river humic acid

  • Chemistry
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Abstract

The photochemical mineralization of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) is a key process in carbon cycling. Using a Suntest CPS solar simulator, Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA) was photooxidated to examine the effects of O2 levels, the wavelength of incident light, and the concentration of Fe on the photoproduction of DIC. Increasing the O2 abundance enhanced photodegradation of SRHA. The rate of DIC photoproduction under air saturation in the first 24 h (4.40 µmol/(L h)) was increased by a factor of 1.56 under O2 saturation, but fell by only 36% under N2 saturation. To evaluate the relative importance of UV-B, UV-A, and visible radiation in the photodegradation, we examined the above process using Mylar-d films and UF-3 and UF-4 plexiglass filters. The results indicated that the UV-B, UV-A and visible wavelengths accounted for 31.8%, 32.6% and 25.6%, respectively, of DIC production with simulated sunlight irradiation. The above results also indicated that photoproduction of DIC could take place in natural water at depths greater than those that UV light can reach. When 20 µmol/L desferrioxamine mesylate (DFOM, a strong Fe complexing ligand) was added, the rate of DIC photoproduction fell to 55.6% that of the original SRHA samples with 5.46 µmol/L Fe.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering & Environmental Science, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Xuejun Wang  (汪学军) & Tao Lou  (楼涛)

  2. Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, G5L 3A1, Canada

    Huixiang Xie  (谢惠祥)

Authors
  1. Xuejun Wang  (汪学军)
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  2. Tao Lou  (楼涛)
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  3. Huixiang Xie  (谢惠祥)
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Correspondence to Xuejun Wang  (汪学军).

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Supported by the National Science and Engineering Research Committee of Canada (No.213327)

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Wang, X., Lou, T. & Xie, H. Photochemical production of dissolved inorganic carbon from suwannee river humic acid. Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 27, 570–573 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-009-9156-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-009-9156-5

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