Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Humic Substances from Peat: Assessment of Process Efficiency and Products’ Quality

Results of efficiency of obtaining humic substances (HSs) from peat in traditional alkaline extraction (TAE) and ultrasound-assisted alkaline extraction (UAAE) are presented. The influence of the duration of the process and ultrasound intensity on the efficiency of extraction of humic acids (HAs) and fulvic acids (FAs) extraction was determined. The composition of the fulvic acid fraction was examined depending on the type of eluent used. Fulvic acids were divided into fractions using columns packed with DAX-8 resin. For this process, 0.1 M NaOH and 0.5 M NH₃∙H₂O were used as eluents. For the quality assessment of specific fulvic acids fractions, spectroscopic methods (UV-Vis and FTIR) were used. Ultrasound had a positive effect on HS extraction efficiency, especially in increasing the amount of a desired hydrophobic fraction of fulvic acids (HPO). However, a negative effect of the excessive prolongation and ultrasound intensity (approximately 400 mW∙cm⁻²) on the extraction efficiency of HPO eluted with 0.1 M NaOH solution was observed. Using peat as a raw carbon material for the HS extraction process can be used as an alternative industrial application of peat. UAAE may be considered as an alternative method to TAE, which provides a higher efficiency in HS isolation from peat.     

Size and shape of soil humic acids estimated by viscosity and molecular weight

Ultrafiltration fractions of three soil humic acids were characterized by viscometry and high performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) in order to estimate shapes and hydrodynamic sizes. Intrinsic viscosities under given solute/solvent/temperature conditions were obtained by extrapolating the concentration dependence of reduced viscosities to zero concentration. Molecular mass (weight average molecular weight (M (w)) and number average molecular weight (M (n))) and hydrodynamic radius (R(H)) were determined by HPSEC using pullulan as calibrant. Values of M (w) and M (n) ranged from 15 to 118 x 10(3) and from 9 to 50 x 10(3) (g mol(-1)), respectively. Polydispersity, as indicated by M (w)/M (n), increased with increasing filter size from 1.5 to 2.4. The hydrodynamic radii (R(H)) ranged between 2.2 and 6.4 nm. For each humic acid, M (w) and [eta] were related. Mark-Houwink coefficients calculated on the basis of the M (w)-[eta] relationships suggested restricted flexible chains for two of the humic acids and a branched structure for the third humic acid. Those structures probably behave as hydrated sphere colloids in a good solvent. Hydrodynamic radii of fractions calculated from [eta] using Einstein's equation, which is applicable to hydrated sphere colloids, ranged from 2.2 to 7.1 nm. These dimensions are fit to the size of nanospaces on and between clay minerals and micropores in soil particle aggregates. On the other hand, the good agreement of R(H) values obtained by applying Einstein's equation with those directly determined by HPSEC suggests that pullulan is a suitable calibrant for estimation of molecular mass and size of humic acids by HPSEC.     

Fulvic acid enrichment in the microlayer of the Gerlache Inlet Sea (Antarctica): preliminary results

The aim of this work was to study the presence of fulvic acids in Antarctic waters, as they appear to be principal film-forming components in the surface microlayer. We obtained a series of samples during two Antarctic Italian Expeditions in 1998/99 and 2000/01 and studied the distribution and the structural differences between fulvic acids extracted from both microlayer and subsurface waters.

Fulvic acids are concentrated in the microlayer and the enrichment factor between microlayer and subsurface water differs between samples. The enrichment factor values for fulvic acids lie between those found for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) in the literature. Fulvic acids extracted from the microlayer were found to be different in structure from those present in the subsurface layer and enriched in sulphur content. We hypothesised that sulphur-containing compounds are slightly bound and/or occluded in fulvic acid structures. The sulphur-containing compounds analysed in the microlayer could be dimethylsulfide (DMS) and/or its products stemming from photochemical and biological oxidation reactions.     

Pyrolysis GC/MS identification of halogenated furandiones and other products from chlorinated aqueous humic solutions

Summary Chlorination of drinking water often leads to undesirable byproducts. Little is known about the hydrophilic chlorinated fragments and the high molecular products. For the investigations presented here, solutions of fulvic acids were chlorinated which had been isolated from a brown water lake and from a groundwater rich in DOC. The fulvic acid-like part of the products was reisolated using XAD-2 resin. Both the original fulvic acid and the chlorinated product were analyzed by pyrolysis in combination with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. A number of compounds was identified including furandiones and pyrandiones. However, it remains unclear whether the furanones and pyranones were already present in the chlorinated samples or whether these were formed during pyrolysis by elimination of water from dicarboxylic acids.Dedicated to Professor Dr. Wilhelm Fresenius on the occasion of his 80th birthday     

The analytical concentration of humic substances from natural waters

The thermodynamics of the adsorption of humic and fulvic acids on the macroreticular polystyrene resin Amberlite XAD-2 have been investigated with a view to optimizing the conditions for its application to the analytical concentration of these compounds. Under the optimal conditions, recoveries of humic and fulvic acids of above 92 and 75%, respectively, were achieved. It has been shown that these compounds can be fractionated on a molecular weight basis during the desorption stage by serial elution at selected pH values.     

灵芝子实体水溶性多糖的分离和分子量测定

用磷酸盐缓冲液、热水、碱和热碱水分别从灵芝子实体分离出五种水溶性杂多糖ＧＬ１、ＧＬ２、ＧＬ３、ＧＬ４和ＧＬ５．紫外光谱、红外光谱、气相色谱及硫酸咔唑分析结果表明，它们主要由葡聚糖、木糖、甘露糖、半乳糖组成，ＧＬ３、ＧＬ４和ＧＬ５含葡萄糖醛酸．由粘度、光散射和膜渗透压法测定了特性粘度［η］、重均分子量Ｍｗ及数均分子量Ｍｎ，ＧＬ２、ＧＬ３和ＧＬ５多糖的Ｍｗ值分别为１２４×１０４、１２８×１０４和５８×１０４．实验结果表明这些杂多糖含水溶性Ｄ 葡聚糖，并且初步推断，用磷酸盐缓冲液提取出的杂多糖ＧＬ２中包含刚性链β Ｄ 葡聚糖     

A speciation methodology to study the contributions of humic-like and fulvic-like acids to the mobilization of metals from compost using size exclusion chromatography-ultraviolet absorption-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and deconvolution analysis

High performance size-exclusion chromatography (HP-SEC) with UV absorption for organic matter detection and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for elemental detection have been used to study the mobilization of metals from compost as a function of pH and the molecular mass of their complexes with dissolved organic matter (DOM). Due to its heterogeneous nature, organic matter mobilized from compost shows a continuous distribution of molecular masses in the range studied (up to 80 kDa). In order to differentiate between the contribution of humic and fulvic acids (FA) to the organic matter mobilized in the pH range 5-10, their UV absorption chromatographic profiles have been deconvoluted with respect to the adjusted gaussian profiles of the humic and fulvic acids isolated from compost. Results show a preponderant contribution of fulvic acids at low pH values and an increasing percentage of humic acids (HA) mobilized at basic pH (up to 49% of total DOM at pH 10). A similar deconvolution procedure has been applied to the ICP-MS chromatograms of selected metals (Co, Cu, Pb and Bi). In general, both fulvic and humic acids contribute to the mobilization of divalent transition metals, such as copper or cobalt, whereas bismuth or lead are preferably associated to humic acids. Non-humic substances (HS) also contribute to the mobilization of cations, especially at acidic pHs. These conclusions have been extended to different elements based on deconvolution analysis results at pH 7.     

Characterization of humic substances: Implications for trihalomethane formation

Humic substances are precursors of carcinogenic trihalomethanes (THMs) formed during disinfection by chlorination in water treatment processes. In an effort to understand the relationship between trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) and physicochemical properties of humic substances, UV-visible absorbance, fluorescence in emission and synchronous scan modes, and NMR spectra were measured for several aquatic fulvic and humic acids. For comparison, a soil fulvic acid was also examined using these methods. The feasibility of the gradient modified spin-echo (GOSE) NMR experiment to selectively measure singlet resonances arising from isolated protons was examined. In addition, diffusion coefficients were measured for DMSO solutions of the fulvic acids using BPPLED and GOSE-edited pulse sequences. Although none of the methods tested produced results that correlated with THMFP, the GOSE intensities determined for different regions of the NMR spectra did reflect the relative abundance of different types of functional groups produced by lignin oxidation. In addition, the GOSE-edited diffusion results suggest that the isolated protons, those most reactive to chlorination, are more likely contained in the larger molecular weight fractions of fulvic acids.     

Fluorescence quenching of three molecular weight fractions of a soil fulvic acid by UO(2)(II)

A soil fulvic acid isolated from a Korean forest was divided into three different molecular weight fractions (F1: less than 220 Da; F2: 220-1000 Da; and F3: 1000-4000 Da) by gel filtration chromatography and the fractions were studied by synchronous fluorescence (SyF) spectroscopy. Analysis of the SyF spectra for the fulvic acid fractions showed that the fractions with molecules of larger sizes have a higher content of condensed aromatic compounds. The information about their interaction with UO(2)(II) ions in an aqueous solution (100 mg l(-1) of fulvic acid, in 0.1 M NaClO(4) at pH 3.5) was obtained from the measurement of SyF spectra at increasing concentrations of metal ions. Self-modeling mixture analysis of the quenching spectra gives two distinct peak components having a maximum peak position of 386 (type I) and 498 nm (type II) for all the size-fractionated fulvic acids. From the analysis of the quenching profiles of the peaks, using a non-linear method, the concentration of binding sites (C(L)), and the corresponding stability constants (logK) were calculated. The stability constants of the UO(2)(II)-fulvate complexes ranged from 4.10 to 5.33, and increased with higher molecular weight fractions, which indicates a stronger affinity for UO(2)(II) in the fraction with molecules of larger size.     

Comparisons of sorption of aquatic humic matter by DAX-8 and XAD-8 resins from solid-state (13)C NMR spectroscopy's point of view

Aquatic humic solutes were separated in parallel by the non-ionic macroporous DAX-8 and XAD-8 resins from four different fresh water sources. On average, the sorptive power of the DAX-8 resin does not differ systematically from that of the XAD-8 resin. The DAX-8 resin seems to have more precise column characteristics compared with the XAD-8 resin. There was no significant difference between the major elemental compositions of the parallel humic-solute bulks obtained by these two resins. According to the (13)C NMR spectroscopy the content and quality of aliphatic carbons, especially those representing terminal methyl groups or methylene carbons, were the most systematic and powerful discriminating factors between the humic extracts obtained by these two resins. Generally speaking the DAX-8 and XAD-8 resins seem to isolate humic-solute bulks almost equally, although the content of aliphatics is slightly greater for the former, producing mixtures with similar structural compositions for general purposes. The structural composition and quantity of the humic-solute mixture isolable with a weakly basic DEAE-cellulose anion exchange resin differs partially from any humic fraction obtained by non-ionic sorbing solids. The environmental impact was also visible on the quality of the structural fine-chemistry of the different humic isolates obtained both by the DAX-8 and XAD-8 resins.     

Characterization of groundwater humic and fulvic acids of different origin by GPC with UV/Vis and fluorescence detection

Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) was applied for recognizing the origin of groundwater humic and fulvic acids. GPC was performed with Fraktogel TSK HW-50 in 0.1 M NaCl, pH 8.5 (0.05 M phosphate buffer), 1 mM EDTA, with 10% by volume methanol added. Humic substances from groundwaters and sediments of four different aquifer systems in Germany were isolated, purified and characterized. Both UV/Vis and fluorescence detection were applied. UV/Vis detection was found to be more powerful in identifying differences between the various humic and fulvic acids. The four aquifer systems investigated (“Gorleben”, “Fuhrberg”, “Franconian Albvorland” and “Munich”) differed from one another with respect to hydrological and geochemical conditions. The results showed that the GPC-elution behavior reflects the geochemical environment and origin (source material and generation process) of aquatic humic and fulvic acids.     

Comparison between DAX-8 and C-18 solid phase extraction of rainwater dissolved organic matter

Rainwater is a very low concentrated matrix and, for dissolved organic matter (DOM) characterization, an efficient extraction procedure is essential. Isolation procedures based on the adsorption onto XAD-8 and C-18 sorbents have been used in the literature for rainwater DOM isolation, but a comparison between these procedures is lacking. In this work, UV-visible and molecular fluorescence spectroscopies highlighted differences between rainwater DOM isolated by DAX-8 (replacement for XAD-8) and by C-18. It was possible to recover higher rainwater DOM percentage by the C-18 based procedure than by the DAX-8 one. Rainwater protein-like compounds were better concentrated by the C-18 procedure than by the DAX-8 one, while humic-like compounds were similarly concentrated by both procedures. Furthermore, rainwater DOM extracted by the C-18 procedure was more representative of the global matrix, while DAX-8 preferentially extracted humic-like compounds.     

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization, fast atom bombardment and plasma desorption mass spectrometry of polyethylene glycol esters of (2-benzothiazolon-3-yl)acetic acid.

Fast atom bombardment (FAB), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) and plasma desorption (PD) mass spectra of newly synthesized polyethylene glycols (PEGs), (M(w) 600-4000 Da) chemically modified with biologically active (2-benzothiazolon-3-yl)acetyl end-groups are described (products 1-6). The spectra were also used for the determination of the molecular mass characteristics (number average (M(n)) and weight average (M(w)) molecular masses) of the initial and modified PEGs. As expected, M(n) and M(w) of the modified samples are higher than those of the non-modified samples. However, it is shown that molecular mass dispersity (determined by the comparison of the polydispersity indices (PDI = M(w)/M(n)) of both types of PEGs) essentially do not change during this modification. The FAB mass spectra, together with molecular species, show the presence of abundant [M + Na](+) ions of product 1 and [M + Na + H](+) species of 2 and 3, and [M + Na + 2H](+) of product 4. Two main series of fragment ions, derived from the cleavage of the ether bonds, are observed. The number fractions of the molecular adduct ions and fragment adduct ions, determined from the FAB and PD mass spectra of the modified PEGs, are compared. The MALDI-TOF mass spectra of compounds 1-6 show the presence of two series of polymers. The most abundant peaks are due to [M + Na](+) and [M + K](+) ions originating from the polymers, in which the two terminal hydroxyl groups of PEGs are esterified with (2-benzothiazolon-3-yl)acetic acid. The less abundant peaks are due to the monosubstituted polymers.     

Fractionation analysis of trace metals in humic substances of soils irrigated with wastewater in Central Mexico by particle induced X-ray emission

The Mezquital Valley in Central Mexico has received wastewater from Mexico City for nearly 100 years. Wastewater brings in organic matter and nutrients but also trace metals. Humic substances, the main components of organic soil matter, are responsible for retaining and regulating the mobility of trace metals in soils. In this study, humic substances were extracted from the soil and separated into distinct fractions (humic acids, fulvic acids and humins). The particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) technique was applied to determine the metal content in bulk soil as well as in humic acids and fulvic acids not soluble in H₃PO₄. In order to assess whether the long-term input of organic matter and metals modifies the metal association with these humic substances, parcels irrigated for three time periods (5, 47 and 89 years) were selected for this study. It was observed that metals such as Zn and Cu are mainly associated with the humic acids. Fulvic acids retain mainly Cr while Pb is distributed among humic and fulvic acids. It was also observed that in general, metal retention by humic substances increases with irrigation time. Depth also affects metal association with the humic substances.     

Kinetic analysis of aluminum complex formation with different soil fulvic acids

A fluorescence technique was used to investigate the complex formation kinetics of aluminum with fulvic acids isolated from different forest soil environments. In the pH range of 2.4–3.6, all of the fulvic acids were found to contain two kinetically distinguishable components, which define two types of average aluminum binding sites. Both of these average sites on all of the fulvic acids conformed to a bidentate chelating binding site kinetic analysis, from which average rate and equilibrium parameters were obtained. Evidence indicated that the difference in reaction rate between the two types of aluminum binding sites on the fulvic acids was due to a steric strain, whereby aluminum was repelled from the slower reacting sites. In comparing this study with a similar kinetic study carried out in acetate buffered solutions, it was found that the presence of buffer changed both the overall mechanism by which aluminum reacted with fulvic acid, and the nature of the sites on fulvic acid that bind aluminum.     

Vapor-pressure osmometric study of the molecular weight and aggregation tendency of a reference-soil fulvic acid

The molecular weight and aggregation tendency of a reference-soil fulvic acid in Armadale horizon Bh were determined by vapor-pressure osmometry using tetrahydrofuran and water as solvents. With tetrahydrofuran, number-average molecular weight values of 767 ± 34 and 699 ± 8 daltons were obtained from two separate sets of measurements. Two sets of measurements with water also yielded values within this range (754 ± 70 daltons) provided that the fulvic acid concentration in water did not exceed 7 mg ml^?1; at higher concentrations (9.1–13.7 mg ml^?1) a number-average molecular weight of 956 ± 25 daltons was resolved, providing evidence of molecular aggregation. Extension of these studies to 80% neutralized fulvic acid showed that a sizeable fraction of the sodium counter ion is not osmotically active.     

The methylation of inorganic tin by humic materials in an aquatic environment

This paper presents a study of methylation of inorganic tin (SnCl₄·5H₂O) by humic materials (humic and fulvic acids) isolated from the sediment of Tianjin Harbor, Tianjin, China, and the effects of pH, salinity, and the concentration of inorganic tin on the production of methyltin were investigated. These humic materials could methylate inorganic tin, and the methyltin product was mainly monomethyltin. Low molecular weight compounds of the humus fraction (i.e. fulvic acid) were more active in the methylation, which could be facilitated by salinity and affected by pH.     

Adsorbability and photocatalytic degradability of humic substances in water on Ti-modified silica

From the viewpoint of development of a removal agent for humic substances, we prepared Ti-modified silica gel, SiO2-Ti, from titanium alkoxide and microsized silica gel. The prepared silica agent was investigated in adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of humic substances in water. In these experiments, four humic substances, commercially available Wako humic acid (Wako-HA), Nordic aquatic humic acid (Nordic-HA), Nordic aquatic fulvic acid (Nordic-FA), and Suwannee river fulvic acid (Suwannee-FA), were used, and Freundlich constants (KF and 1/n) and photodegradation rates were evaluated. Wako-HA, which has the highest aromaticity ratio [Ar-OH]/[COOH] and molecular weight, had the highest adsorbability (KF=17.5 (mg/g)(L/mg)(1/n), 1/n=0.67) but the lowest photodegradability (<80%). On the other hand, Suwannee-FA, which has the lowest aromaticity, [Ar-OH]/[COOH] ratio, and molecular weight, afforded lesser adsorbability (KF=7.1 (mg/g)(L/mg)(1/n), 1/n=0.39) but the highest photodegradability (>99%). Nordic-HA and Nordic-FA afforded adsorbabilities similar to that for Suwannee-FA, and medium photodegradabilities between those for Wako-HA and Suwannee-FA. Adsorption and photodegradation capacities of SiO2-Ti were improved with increased Ti content and phosphorescence emission amount, respectively. From XRD analysis, we found that the structure of anatase-type TiO2 features the Ti modifiers of SiO2-Ti. Therefore, humic substance molecules effectively interact with the Ti modifiers and are decomposed by OH radicals generated in situ. We hope that SiO2-Ti will be used as a photodegradation catalyst in water purification plants.     

Flocculation of humic substances with metal ions as followed by capillary zone electrophoresis

Humic and fulvic acids from various sources have been shown to give different electropherograms by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), depending on the pH of the electrolyte. This CZE work is extended here through investigations involving the titration of humic and fulvic acids with Fe(III) and Cu(II) cations. As increasing amounts of these cations were added to the humic substances (HUS), flocculation of metal-humic complexes occurred. This is believed to be caused by binding of the metal cations with negative carboxyl and phenolic sites on the HUS, resulting in a decrease of the repulsive forces that keep the HUS in a conformation more suitable for water solubility. The flocculated complexes were separated from the supernatant by centrifugation, and the supernatants were characterized as to total organic carbon (TOC) content, molecular weight (MW) using gel permeation chromatography, and average electrophoretic mobility (AEM) using CZE. The extent of flocculation correlated with both TOC and quantitative CZE measurements. The MW of the HUS remaining in solution actually decreased, presumably because of precipitation of larger molecules as they became insoluble because of reactions with the metals. Humic acids showed total precipitation of TOC with both metals at a concentration equivalent to their measured acidity. CZE demonstrated that certain fulvic acid fractions (low molecular weight phenolic acids) remained in solution even at high metal concentrations. In summary, changes in electrophoretic behavior of the soluble HUS could be related to changes in charge-to-mass ratios (charge densities) of both humic and fulvic acids with increasing metal cation concentration (neutralization). The copper treated HUS showed changes in their electrophoretic behavior even at low metal concentrations before flocculation, whereas the iron treated HUS flocculated uniformally over the range of added iron without significant changes in AEM. Thus these changes in CZE patterns illustrate different specific binding sites of the HUS for each metal.     

镍体系(NiCl_2/PPh_3)催化的反向原子转移自由基聚合

以 2 ,3 二氰基 2 ,3 二苯基丁二酸二乙酯 (DCDPS) NiCl2 PPh3 为引发体系 ,首次利用Ni2 + 和Ni+ 之间的变价关系 ,研究了乙烯基单体的反向ATRP .结果表明 ,苯乙烯 (St)的聚合具有活性自由基聚合的特征 ,所得PSt的分子量随转化率的增加而增加 ,并且制得的PSt可以作为大分子引发剂进行扩链反应 .但该引发体系引发甲基丙烯酸甲酯 (MMA)聚合时没有活性自由基聚合特征 ,PMMA的分子量与转化率基本无关 ,但分子量分布窄Mw Mn=1 19