The extraction of intracrystalline biomarkers and other organic compounds from sulphate minerals using a microfluidic format – a feasibility study for remote fossil-life detection using a microfluidic H-cell

2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen A. Bowden ◽  
Rab Wilson ◽  
Colin Taylor ◽  
Jonathan M. Cooper ◽  
John Parnell
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Compound ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Compound A ◽  
Planetary Bodies ◽  
Life Detection ◽  
Soluble Sulphate

Water-soluble sulphate minerals such as epsomite and gypsum have been reported on a number of planetary bodies of astrobiological interest and their presence is often used as an indicator for potential habitability as it can indicate the presence of liquid water. The sulphate minerals can incorporate biomarkers and biomolecules as intracrystalline inclusions. These intracrystalline inclusions are protected from their exterior chemical environments and their analysis can yield a biomarker record, even in environments where extreme oxidizing conditions may have degraded any record present in non-intracrystalline organic matter. In this study, organic compounds were incorporated within epsomite as intracrystalline inclusions by co-precipitating a mineral from solutions of a mineral and organic compound. A feasibly study utilizing a microfluidic H-cell to process finely ground samples of the inclusion-bearing epsomite indicates that a similar device may be used to extract biomarkers for analysis.

scholarly journals On the implications of aerosol liquid water and phase separation for organic aerosol mass

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 343-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Havala O. T. Pye ◽  
Benjamin N. Murphy ◽  
Lu Xu ◽  
Nga L. Ng ◽  
Annmarie G. Carlton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Water Uptake ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Organic Nitrates ◽  
Monitoring Networks ◽  
Chemical Transport Model

Abstract. Organic compounds and liquid water are major aerosol constituents in the southeast United States (SE US). Water associated with inorganic constituents (inorganic water) can contribute to the partitioning medium for organic aerosol when relative humidities or organic matter to organic carbon (OM ∕ OC) ratios are high such that separation relative humidities (SRH) are below the ambient relative humidity (RH). As OM ∕ OC ratios in the SE US are often between 1.8 and 2.2, organic aerosol experiences both mixing with inorganic water and separation from it. Regional chemical transport model simulations including inorganic water (but excluding water uptake by organic compounds) in the partitioning medium for secondary organic aerosol (SOA) when RH  >  SRH led to increased SOA concentrations, particularly at night. Water uptake to the organic phase resulted in even greater SOA concentrations as a result of a positive feedback in which water uptake increased SOA, which further increased aerosol water and organic aerosol. Aerosol properties, such as the OM ∕ OC and hygroscopicity parameter (κorg), were captured well by the model compared with measurements during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) 2013. Organic nitrates from monoterpene oxidation were predicted to be the least water-soluble semivolatile species in the model, but most biogenically derived semivolatile species in the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model were highly water soluble and expected to contribute to water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC). Organic aerosol and SOA precursors were abundant at night, but additional improvements in daytime organic aerosol are needed to close the model–measurement gap. When taking into account deviations from ideality, including both inorganic (when RH  >  SRH) and organic water in the organic partitioning medium reduced the mean bias in SOA for routine monitoring networks and improved model performance compared to observations from SOAS. Property updates from this work will be released in CMAQ v5.2.

scholarly journals Particle partitioning potential of organic compounds is highest in the Eastern US and driven by anthropogenic water

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 10203-10214 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. Carlton ◽  
B. J. Turpin
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Anthropogenic Pollutants ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Phase Water ◽  
Organic Gases ◽  
Mass Concentrations

Abstract. Gas-phase water-soluble organic matter (WSOMg) is ubiquitous in the troposphere. In the summertime, the potential for these gases to partition to particle-phase liquid water (H2Optcl) where they can form secondary organic aerosol (SOAAQ) is high in the Eastern US and low elsewhere, with the exception of an area near Los Angeles, CA. This spatial pattern is driven by mass concentrations of H2Optcl, not WSOMg. H2Optcl mass concentrations are predicted to be high in the Eastern US, largely due to sulfate. The ability of sulfate to increase H2Optcl is well established and routinely included in atmospheric models; however WSOMg partitioning to this water and subsequent SOA formation is not. The high mass concentrations of H2Optcl in the southeast (SE) US but not the Amazon may help explain why biogenic SOA mass concentrations are high in the SE US but low in the Amazon. Furthermore, during the summertime in the Eastern US, the potential for organic gases to partition into liquid water is greater than their potential to partition into organic matter (OM) because concentrations of WSOMg and H2Optcl are higher than semi-volatile gases and OM. Thus, unless condensed phase yields are substantially different (> ~ order of magnitude), we expect that SOA formed through aqueous-phase pathways (SOAAQ) will dominate in the Eastern US. These findings also suggest that H2Optcl is largely anthropogenic and provide a previously unrecognized mechanism by which anthropogenic pollutants impact the amount of SOA mass formed from biogenic organic emissions. The previously reported estimate of the controllable fraction of biogenic SOA in the Eastern US (50%) is likely too low.

Pollutant monitoring in sludge treatment wetlands

2011 ◽  
Vol 64 (7) ◽  
pp. 1558-1565 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Peruzzi ◽  
G. Masciandaro ◽  
C. Macci ◽  
S. Doni ◽  
B. Ceccanti
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Land Application ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Sludge Stabilization ◽  
Organic Matter Stabilization ◽  
Urban Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Toxic Organic Compounds

Phragmites australis for sludge dewatering and stabilization processes have been widely proved. The presence of reeds, indeed, efficiently allows solids dewatering and organic matter stabilization in order to obtain a stabilised product that can be suitable for land application, even if its environmental impact has to be considered. The actual revision of the European Union's Working Document on Sludge (2000), in fact, seems to be addressed to detect two principal categories of pollutants in sludge for agricultural use: heavy metals and toxic organic compounds. In this study are presented results about sludge stabilization and monitoring of heavy metal fractionation and organic compounds in four urban wastewater treatment plants managed by Acque S.p.A., (Tuscany, Italy). To evaluate the process of sludge stabilization parameters were determined that highlight the biochemical and chemico-structural properties of sludge organic matter. The results showed that stabilization of the sludge over time occurred as shown by the low content of water soluble carbon and dehydrogenase activity, and by the re-synthesis of humic-like matter highlighted by the pyrolytic indices of mineralization and humification. Results about fractionation showed that heavy metals were retained in fractions related to the stabilized organic matter. Moreover, toxic organic compounds showed a drastic reduction at the end of the monitoring period.

STUDIES ON STEAM STERILIZATION OF SOILS: I. SOME EFFECTS ON PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL, AND BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES

1947 ◽  
Vol 25c (6) ◽  
pp. 189-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. N. Malowany ◽  
J. D. Newton
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Capillary Rise ◽  
Mechanical Analysis ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Soluble Phosphate ◽  
Steam Sterilization ◽  
Physical Chemical ◽  
Soluble Sulphate

Effects of steam sterilization and recontamination with original soil, on certain physical, chemical, and biological properties of four Alberta soils were investigated. The soils were Edmonton black loam, Vegreville black fine sandy loam, Gros Ventre brown loam, and Fallis gray silt loam. Certain physical properties were affected by steam sterilization as follows: (1) capillary rise of moisture was greatly retarded in all four soils following sterilization; (2) the percentages of the different separates as determined by ordinary mechanical analysis were not changed significantly by sterilization; (3) water-holding capacity and moisture content at the 'sticky point' were slightly reduced, and, in three of the soils, shrinkage was slightly increased by sterilization, but these effects were of uncertain significance; (4) the pH values of these soils were not changed appreciably by sterilization. The following chemical changes were produced by steam sterilization: (1) water-soluble phosphate was generally greatly increased and water soluble sulphate somewhat increased by sterilization. Easily soluble phosphorus (soluble at pH 3) was increased by about one-third in the two black soils rich in organic matter, but not in the other soils; (2) ammonia accumulated rapidly in the sterilized recontaminated black and brown soils for four to six weeks, and then returned to normal in 8 to 12 weeks. Ammonia accumulated less rapidly and to a smaller degree in the gray soil; (3) nitrification was suppressed for about 6 to 10 weeks in the sterilized recontaminated soils, but was later more active in these soils than in the unsterilized (especially in the black soils rich in organic matter).

scholarly journals Particle partitioning potential of organic compounds is highest in the Eastern US and driven by anthropogenic water

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 12743-12770 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. Carlton ◽  
B. J. Turpin
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Anthropogenic Pollutants ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Phase Water ◽  
Organic Gases ◽  
Mass Concentrations

Abstract. Gas phase water-soluble organic matter (WSOMg) is ubiquitous in the troposphere. In the summertime, the potential for these gases to partition to particle phase liquid water (H2Optcl) where they can form secondary organic aerosol (SOAAQ) is high in the Eastern US and low elsewhere, with the exception of an area near Los Angeles, CA. This spatial pattern is driven by mass concentrations of H2Optcl, not WSOMg. H2Optcl mass concentrations are predicted to be high in the Eastern US, largely due to sulfate. The ability of sulfate to increase H2Optcl is well-established and routinely included in atmospheric models, however WSOMg partitioning to this water and subsequent SOA formation is not. The high mass concentrations of H2Optcl in the southeast (SE) US but not the Amazon, may help explain why biogenic SOA mass concentrations are high in the SE US, but low in the Amazon. Furthermore, during the summertime in the Eastern US, the potential for organic gases to partition into liquid water is greater than their potential to partition into organic matter (OM) because concentrations of WSOMg and H2Optcl are higher than semi-volatile gases and OM. Thus, unless condensed phase yields are substantially different (> ~ order of magnitude), we expect that SOA formed through aqueous phase pathways (SOAAQ) will dominate in the Eastern US. These findings also suggest that H2Optcl is largely anthropogenic and provide a previously unrecognized mechanism by which anthropogenic pollutants impact the amount of SOA mass formed from biogenic organic emissions. The previously reported estimate of the controllable fraction of biogenic SOA in the Eastern US (50%) is likely too low.

Adsorption and Photodegradation of Humic Acids by Nano-Structured TiO2 for Water Treatment

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. F. Lee ◽  
D. D. Sun ◽  
J. O. Leckie
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Water Treatment ◽  
Organic Compound ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Natural Organic Matter ◽  
Humic Acids ◽  
Chlorinated Organic Compounds ◽  
Chlorinated Organic ◽  
By Products

AbstractRemoval of natural organic matter (NOM) is always a concern in water treatment, particularly the formation of chlorinated organic compounds such as trihalomethane (THM) - toxic by-products resulting from the chlorination and disinfection of residual organic compound. TiO

scholarly journals Temporal variations of organic matter fractions of different lability in an Entic Haplustoll

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Antonela Iturri ◽  
Graciela Gloria Hevia ◽  
Montserrat Diaz Raviña ◽  
Daniel Eduardo Buschiazzo
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Total N ◽  
Organic C

Stable and labile soil organic compounds play different roles in the soil. It is a question of how far soil organic matter (SOM) fractions with different labilities vary as a function of climatic and management conditions. In order to answer this question stable (organic C -C-, total N -N-, organic P -Po-), and labile SOM fractions (total carbohydrates -CHt- and hot water soluble carbohydrates -CHw-) were measured monthly for two years in the 10-cm soil top-layer of an Entic Haplustoll, under conventional tillage (CT), vertical tillage (VT) and no-till (NT). Results showed that contents of all analyzed organic fractions were higher in NT than in VT and CT in almost all sampling dates. All organic compounds were less variable with time in NT and VT than in CT, in agreement with the smaller soil disturbance of NT and VT compared to CT. The more labile fractions varied as a function of short term changes in the climatic conditions, mainly temperature. Under soil disturbing tillage systems, the most stable fractions tended to decrease and the more labile to increase with time. This was attributed to the transformation of the more stable into the more labile fractions, possibly due to the disruption of aggregates produced by tillage that favored SOM mineralization. Po was the less variable compound, even under the most disturbing tillage conditions. The quotients C/N, CHt/C and CHw/C evolved similarly in all tillage systems, indicating that that tillage systems change the amount but not the quality of SOM.

scholarly journals Transformation of organic substances in the conjugate series of surface waters of North Karelia

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-50
Author(s):  
O. Yu. Drozdova ◽  
S. M. Ilina ◽  
N. A. Anokhina ◽  
Yu. A. Zavgorodnyaya ◽  
V. V. Demin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Humic Substances ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Natural Waters ◽  
Weighted Average ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Benzoic Acids ◽  
Total Carbon Content ◽  
Conjugate Series

In this study, compositions of organic matter were investigated in the conjugate series of natural waters, including that from soil water, wetlands, streams, and lakes. In determinations of compositions of aliphatic and benzoic acids and humic substances, humic substances comprised the bulk of dissolved organic carbon, with 28% in lake waters and 57% in waters of wetlands and a weighted average molecular mass of 1 kDa. Aliphatic and benzoic acids comprised ≤ 2% of the total carbon content of water-soluble organic compounds. Transformations of dissolved organic matter occurred in a series of surveyed waters. Specifically, compositions and specific characteristics are dynamic, and increases in the fraction with a molecular weight of < 1 kDa were associated with photo- and bio-degradation of macromolecular organic compounds.

scholarly journals On the implications of aerosol liquid water and phase separation for organic aerosol mass

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Havala O. T. Pye ◽  
Benjamin N. Murphy ◽  
Lu Xu ◽  
Ng L. Ng ◽  
Annmarie G. Carlton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Water Uptake ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Organic Nitrates ◽  
Monitoring Networks ◽  
Chemical Transport Model

Abstract. Organic compounds and liquid water are major aerosol constituents in the southeast United States (SE US). Water associated with inorganic constituents (inorganic water) can contribute to the partitioning medium for organic aerosol when relative humidities or organic matter to organic carbon (OM/OC) ratios are high such that separation relative humidities (SRH) are below the ambient relative humidity (RH). As OM/OC ratios in the SE US are often between 1.8 and 2.2, organic aerosol experiences both mixing with inorganic water and separation from it. Regional chemical transport model simulations including inorganic water (but excluding water uptake by organic compounds) in the partitioning medium for secondary organic aerosol (SOA) when RH > SRH led to increased SOA concentrations, particularly at night. Water uptake to the organic phase resulted in even greater SOA concentrations as a result of a positive feedback in which water uptake increased SOA, which further increased aerosol water and organic aerosol. Aerosol properties, such as the OM/OC and hygroscopicity parameter (κorg), were captured well by the model compared with measurements during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) 2013. Organic nitrates from monoterpene oxidation were predicted to be the least water-soluble semivolatile species in the model, but most biogenically-derived semivolatile species in the CMAQ model were highly water soluble, and expected to contribute to water soluble organic carbon (WSOC). Organic aerosol and SOA precursors were abundant at night; but, additional improvements in daytime organic aerosol are needed to close the model-measurement gap. By taking into account deviations from ideality, including both inorganic (when RH > SRH) and organic water in the organic partitioning medium reduced the mean bias in SOA for routine monitoring networks and improved model performance compared to observations from SOAS. Property updates from this work will be released in CMAQ v5.2.

scholarly journals Nature of Volatile Organic Matter in Lake Sediments as a Reflection of Paleoclimate Changes Occurring at 4 ka in the Central Qaidam Basin

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohang Lu ◽  
Yongsheng Zhang ◽  
Lei Yi ◽  
Zhe Ma ◽  
Weigang Su ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Compound ◽  
Lake Sediments ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Qaidam Basin ◽  
Silty Sand ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Volatile Organic

This study explores the paleoclimate changes around the 4 ka BP period in the central Qaidam Basin (QB), assessing the differences in spectral characteristics and organic composition of salt lake sediments under different climate change conditions. Sediment samples (10-m-depth profile) were collected from the middle of dry salt flats in East Taijinar Lake (China). Sediment organic matter (SOM) was assessed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results showed a significant difference in the TOC content of sediments with different lithological characteristics. A lower TOC content in salt-bearing strata was attributed to the extreme sedimentary environment with minimal exogenous inputs. FTIR spectroscopy revealed that the SOM in sediments included aliphatic C, ketones and alcohols. Sediments of salt-bearing strata generally exhibited a rise in the content of ketone C=O groups and a decrease in aliphatic C, with an equal content of alcohols compared with silty sand. Therefore, exogenous OM and the content of TOC in silty sand strata are higher than in salt-bearing strata, indicating that the paleoclimate became warmer and wetter after 4 ka BP. GC-MS analysis showed a significant difference between the phenol and aldehyde content in different strata, further indicating that the paleoclimate changed from dry to relatively warm around 4 ka BP. Seven organic compound types were identified in SOM, including aldehydes, hydrocarbons, phenols, esters, ketones, alcohols, and furans. Different strata exhibited different distributions of organic compounds, with particularly high concentrations of aldehydes in salt-bearing strata and phenols in silty sand. Correlation analysis was performed between detrital minerals and OM types in all samples. Results showed a strong positive correlation between detrital minerals and phenols and a strong negative correlation between detrital minerals and aldehydes, with a negative correlation also identified between detrital minerals and ketones. Overall, the reduction in volatile organic compounds demonstrates that the paleoclimate changed from cooler and dry to wet and warm around the 4 ka BP period in the central QB, with the carbon preference index and n-alkane values further demonstrating these results. This study also confirms the importance of volatile organic compound monitoring to assess paleoclimate changes.

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