Atmospheric Pressure Photoionization Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry characterization of oil sand process-affected water in constructed wetland treatment

The remediation of oil sand process-affected water (OSPW) generated during the bitumen extraction in the oil sand region of Canada is an area of ongoing research interest. One of the primary remediation challenges is the removal of residual complex organic compounds present in the OSPW. In the present study, the molecular constitution of OSPW from aerated and non-aerated wetland treatments were characterized in constructed wetland treatment (CWT) systems. Negative-ion and positive-ion atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) was used to provide extensive molecular-level analysis of the samples. Multiple aerated and non-aerated treatment wetland systems were characterized in terms of naphthenic acids (NAs), oxy-NAs, heteroatom NAs class and double bond equivalent (DBE) versus carbon number to evaluate their molecular composition and variability. A broad range of heteroatom compound classes with variable relative abundances were iden...