E. Pfeiffer, G. Pavelescu, A. Baker, C. Roman, C. Ioja. D. Savastru, Pollution analysis on the Arges River using fluorescence spectroscopy, J. Optoelectron. Adv. Mater., 10/6 (2008)  1489 - 1494

Title: Pollution analysis on the Arges River using fluorescence spectroscopy

Abstract: Fluorescence spectroscopy was used to evaluate the influence of untreated wastewaters on Arges river water quality. Samples collected from the Lower Basin of the Arges River were analyzed using laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy (LIFS) and excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence. Specific fluorescence fingerprints for Arges River water were shown. Using LIFS the influence of the wastewater discharged from urban areas and nearby farms was shown by protein-like fluorescence presence (tyrosine-like and tryptophan-like). The decrease in pollution downstream due to auto purification process (dilution and breakdown of the organic fraction) was also shown. River protein-like fluorescence intensity determined by LIF correlated strongly with fecal coliform content, measured with standard biological method. This proved that laser induced fluorescence can be a rapid and efficient tool in detecting urban sewage contamination, taking into account that LIFS is more sensitive method for picking up weaker fluorescence signals, such as that from tyrosine and the presence of folded and unfolded tryptophan residues.

Key words: fluorescence spectroscopy; water pollution; laser induced fluorescence