Application of Fluorescence Technique in Pollution Monitoring

Abstract

Plant cell wall has the composition, structure and properties that make it suitable for many uses, such as composite and paper manufacture. Cell wall has many active sites on its surface which are involved in interaction with its environment (solvent). We investigate its capacity for purification of water pollutants. In this study, we investigated capacity of plant cell walls isolated from milled maize stem to remove different concentrations of nickel from polluted water. By combining fluorescence technique with spectrophotometry, complementary results were obtained. Autoflorescence spectra of plant cell walls were recorded and their spectral changes during interaction between cell wall and pollutants were examined. Emission spectra were analyzed by fitting with multiple log-normal distribution curves, whose form resembles to real experimental spectra of individual fluorophores.