Chlorinated organic contaminants often enter waterbodies through accidental spills or municipal wastewater effluents. Surface water in streams, rivers, and lakes contains diverse dissolved organic matter (DOM), a complex mixture of molecules from plant material and microorganisms. The structure of DOM strongly depends on the source of origin. When exposed to sunlight, these chlorinated contaminants interact with the dissolved organic matter and sunlight, breaking down into daughter products. The daughter products may be different depending on the DOM type.

In this research direction, we study the mechanism of the degradation of organic contaminants in simulated laboratory experiments using the light source in the UVA-visible wavelength region.

When organic contaminants are released into the aquatic environment, they transform into a mixture of daughter products. These daughter products can be more toxic to the ecosystem and human health. The chemical composition and characteristics of natural water can influence the formation of these products.

In this research direction, we study how water chemical characteristics, such as pH, composition, and concentration of dissolved organic matter (DOM), impact the toxicological profile of the degradation products. Our goal is to identify the factors driving the formation of higher toxicity products in surface water.

This interdisciplinary and highly collaborative research combines environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology, and machine learning approaches.