Mapping the Photochemistry of European Mid-Latitudes Rivers: An Assessment of Their Ability to Photodegrade Contaminants

Abstract

The abiotic photochemical reactions that take place naturally in sunlit surface waters can degrade many contaminants that pose concern to water bodies for their potentially toxic and long-term effects. This works aims at assessing the ability of European rivers to photoproduce reactive transient intermediates, such as HO• radicals and the excited triplet states of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (3CDOM*), involved in pollutant degradation. A photochemical mapping of the steady-state concentrations of these transients was carried out by means of a suitable modeling tool, in the latitude belt between 40 and 50°N. Such a map allowed for the prediction of the photochemical lifetimes of the phenylurea herbicide isoproturon (mostly undergoing photodegradation upon reaction with HO• and especially 3CDOM*) across different European countries. For some rivers, a more extensive dataset was available spanning the years 1990–2002, which allowed for the computation of the steady-state concentration of the carbonate radicals (CO3•−). With these data, it was possible to assess the time trends of the photochemical half-lives of further contaminants (atrazine, ibuprofen, carbamazepine, and clofibric acid). The calculated lifetimes were in the range of days to weeks, which might or might not allow for efficient depollution depending on the river-water flow velocity.