IHSS&IWA26 / BRNO / CZECHIA / 23–28 August 2026 BOOK OF ABSTRACTS 210 Poster Session / NOM and Aquatic Systems Hall A P3.2 Role of Environmental and Engineered Transformations on Biomolecule Structure in Organic Matter Derived From Wastewater Effluent Eleonora (Lila) Roach1, Janie Yaesul Kim2, Rachel O’Brien2, Aleksandra Szczuka2 1 University of Michigan, Environmental Engineering, 500 S State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 2 University of Michigan, Environmental Engineering, 500 S State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Organic matter (OM) is a primary precursor to disinfection by products (DBPs), which form when drinking water is disinfected for pathogen control. DBPs are a class of compounds that are associated with adverse health risks, including cancer, and a small subset (11 compounds) of the >700 DBPs discovered to date are regulated in drinking waters. Recent studies have shown that unregulated DBPs could pose greater risks than the regulated compounds, and biomolecular DBPs, whose formation is associated with biomolecule disinfection, are an emerging DBP class [1]. A major source of biomolecules to the environment is organic matter derived from the effluent of wastewater treatment plants (EfOM). Biomolecules make up the largest fraction of EfOM, with approximately 55% of the EfOM being made up of proteins, 9% lipids, and 24% nucleic acids [1]. When wastewater effluent is discharged upstream of drinking water treatment plants, EfOM can contribute biomolecules to environmental waters that are disinfected for drinking water production. The biomolecules can undergo environmental transformations prior to uptake by drinking water treatment plants [2]. EfOM uptake by drinking water plants is becoming more prevalent globally due to climate change. As an example, ~50% of U.S. utilities in the United States take up treated wastewater. Arid regions, such as the southwestern U.S. are particularly impacted. Here, treated wastewater effluent can comprise up to 100% of the water entering drinking water utilities [3]. The goal of this project is to understand the impact that engineered and environmental processes have on biomolecular EfOM composition. Wastewater treatment, and specifically, the level of nitrogen removal and method of disinfection, is anticipated to impact EfOM composition. Further, we anticipate that photolysis and biodegradation that occur in environmental waters prior to uptake by a drinking water plant may further shift composition. To address these changes, we have developed a pipeline and methods to concentrate samples using solid phase extraction and process ESI-Orbitrap mass spectrometry EfOM data. Our method allows for more accessible production of mass spectrometry diagrams (compared to Fourier-Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance mass spectrometry) for
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