Identifying Pollution Sources in Surface Water Using a Fluorescence Fingerprint Technique in an Analytical Chemistry Laboratory Experiment for Advanced Undergraduates

The undergraduates in the major of Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering frequently ignored the importance of identifying pollution sources for water environment monitoring and knew little about the techniques of identifying pollution sources. Thus, a laboratory experiment which focused on pollution sources identification in a water body was designed to help students to solve these issues. In this laboratory exercise, students collected surface water samples from a pond, namely, Shui-Mu Tsinghua (SMTH), and evaluated its water quality through water quality parameters (WQPs). Afterward, the students scanned a fluorescence fingerprint (FF) of the SMTH water body by fluorescence spectrometer and determined the suspected pollution source through parallel factor analysis and Tucker congruence coefficient. Students' performance from post-lab quizzes and experimental reports implied that they understood the significance of identifying pollution sources for practical water environment monitoring. Some students presented great interest in the FF technique and proposed several suggestions to improve its ability to identify pollution sources.