Hydrodynamic behaviour of silica-DNA microparticles in surface water: A systematic laboratory-based understanding of SiDNA(Fe) tracers

Rivers are vital for maintaining freshwater ecosystems as they distribute nutrients as well as dilute and transport anthropogenic pollution. Tracers provide direct empirical data on complex waterflows and reveal transport processes of waterborne substances. Recent advances in material engineering and biomolecular technology have made it possible to tag material with unique synthetic DNA sequences. Synthetic DNA sequences can be encapsulated or bound to desired material and accurately quantified by quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR). ThisDNA-tagging technique has enormous potential for river tracing purposes. No systematic research has been conducted and more knowledge is required with regard to the transport behaviour and fate of such DNA-tagged material in surface water hydrology. Therefore, the objective of this research was to understand the transport behaviour of such DNA-tagged materials in river waters, evaluate their applicability as tracers for studying surface water transport processes such as advection and dispersion, and investigate their transient interactions. This dissertation utilized two types of such DNA-tagged microparticles. The first type was non-magnetic silica-encapsulated DNA-tagged microparticles with a silica core (Si-DNA). The second type was superparamagnetic silica-encapsulated DNAtagged microparticles with a iron oxide core (SiDNAFe). Collectively, these two types were referred to as SiDNA(Fe) throughout this dissertation...