• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.670-675
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• 2004

Humic acids are macromolecules originated from natural water, soil, and sediment. The characteristics of humic acid enable it to change the distribution of metals as well as many kinds of organic contaminants and to determine the sorption of them from soil solution. To see the effect of humic acid on the removal rate of organic contaminants and heavy metals, batch-scale experiments were performed. As a natural geosorbent, black shale was used as a sorbent media, which showed hight sorption capacity of trichloroethylene (TCE), lead, cadmium and chromium. The effect of sorption-desorption, pH, ionic strength and the concentration of humic acid was taken into consideration. TCE sorption capacity by black shale was compared to natural bentonite and hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) modified bentonite. The removal rate was good and humic acid also sorbed onto black shale very well. The organic part of humic acid could effectively enhance the partition of TCE and it act as an electron donor to reduce Cr(VI) to Cr(III). Cationic metal of Pb(II) and Cd(II) also removed from the water by black shale. With 3 mg/L of humic acid, both Pb(II) and Cd(II) were removed more than without humic acid. That could be explained by sorption and complexation with humic acid and that was possible when humic acid could change the hydrophobicity and solubility of heavy metals. Humic acid exhibited desorption-resistivity with black shale, which implied that black shale could be an alternative sorbent or material for remediation of organic contaminants and heavy metals.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.9
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• pp.1310-1320
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• 2020

Low-quality soil for land reuse is a crucial problem in vegetation quality and especially to waste disposal sites in mining areas. It is necessary to find suitable materials to improve the soil quality and especially to increase soil microbial diversity and activity. In this study, pot experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of a mixed material of humic acid, super absorbent polymer and biochar on low-quality soil indexes and the microbial community response. The indexes included soil physicochemical properties and the corresponding plant growth. The results showed that the mixed material could improve chemical properties and physical structure of soil by increasing the bulk density, porosity, macro aggregate, and promote the mineralization of nutrient elements in soil. The best performance was achieved by adding 3 g·kg^-1 super absorbent polymer, 3 g·kg^-1 humic acid, and 10 g·kg^-1 biochar to soil with plant total nitrogen, dry weight and height increased by 85.18%, 266.41% and 74.06%, respectively. Physicochemical properties caused changes in soil microbial diversity. Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, Nitrospirae, Planctomycetes, and Proteobacteria were significantly positively correlated with most of the physical, chemical and plant indicators. Actinobacteria and Armatimonadetes were significantly negatively correlated with most measurement factors. Therefore, this study can contribute to improving the understanding of low-quality soil and how it affects soil microbial functions and sustainability.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.49-59
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• 2021

The effects of green manure crops, hairy vetch and sesban, supplemented with HS (humic substance) on biological soil health indicators was studied in a pot containing two kinds of reclaimed soil previously contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons; a soil remediated by land-farming (DDC) and another soil by low-temperature thermal desorption (YJ). Treatments include no plant (C), plants only (H), and plants+2% HS (PH), which were evaluated in a pot containing respective soil. Biological indicators include microbial community analysis as well as soil enzyme activities of dehydrogenase, 𝛽-glucosidase, N-acetyl-𝛽-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), acid/alkaline phosphatase, arylsulfatase, and urease. Results showed an increase of enzyme activities in pot soils with plants and even greater in soils with plants+HS. The enzyme activities of DDC soil with plants (DDC_P) and with plants+HS (DDC_PH) increased 1.6 and 3.9 times on average, respectively than those in the control. The enzyme activities YJ soil with plants (YJ_P) and with plant+HS (YJ_PH) increased 1.8 and 3.8 times on average, respectively than those in the control. According to microbial community analysis, the relative abundance of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in DDC and YJ soil was increased from 1.5% to 7% and from 0 to 5%, respectively, after planting hairy vetch and sesban. This study showed that mixed planting of green manure crops with a supplement of humic substance is highly effective for the restoration of biological health indicators of reclaimed soils.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.67-78
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of humic acid on the germination, the growth and the yield of hot pepper when treated with organic hot pepper seedlings and growing season. The germination rate of 0.05% and 0.1% humic acid was higher than that of untreated, but the germination rates of 0.4% and 1.0% humic acid were 90.0% and 86.7%, respectively, compared with the control treatment (96.7%). At 30 days after transplanting, hot pepper treated with low (0.05%) or high (1.0%) concentration of humic acid decreased the growth of hot pepper seedlings, whereas 0.2% humic acid treatment significantly increased a average height (97.6 cm), leaf number (84.7) and fresh weight ($128.1g\;plant^{-1}$) of hot pepper. After 60 days of treatment with humic acid, the height of hot pepper was significantly longer in 0.2% humic acid. The mean green fruit number of 0.2%, 0.1% and 0.05% humic acid were not significantly different among the treatments, but the mean green pepper number of 0.4% and 1.0% humic acid treatments were the higher with 35.2% and 29.1%, respectively than other treatments. However, the fresh weight of green pepper was found to be $111.5g\;plant^{-1}$ more heavier than the untreated in 0.2% humic acid. The total ($5.8kg\;plant^{-1}$) and average ($1.4kg\;plant^{-1}$) fresh weight of pepper were higher than that of untreated control, except for the 1.0% humic acid treatment after 60 days of soil irrigation. The total weight of hot pepper treated with 0.2% and 0.1% humic acid treatment was $9.3kg\;plant^{-1}$ and $8.6kg\;plant^{-1}$, respectively, which were heavier than the other treatments. The effect of humic acid concentrations on soil microbial populations, pH and EC was investigated. The soil bacterial population density of 0.2% humic acid treatment was 3.5 times higher than that of untreated control soil. As the concentration of humic acid increased from 0.05% to 1.0%, pH and EC of hot pepper grown soil also increased.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.2 no.1_2
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• pp.13-16
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• 1987

The author obtained three kinds of humic acid from the soil of suburbs in the Wonju city, sediments of Wonju stream and Maeji reservoir in 29 April 1986. The yield of each humic acid was 7.23 g, 3.35 g and 4.61 g per sample 200 g. In the physicochemical characters, the COD varied from 65.9 ppm to 54.9 ppm and BOD showed 6.7～15.9 ppm, but the standard humic acid was COD 58.9 ppm and BOD 6.5 ppm in 0.01 % solution. Doses of the humic acids for 20% methemoglobin formation are as follows; 0.303 mg/m$\ell$ in St. A humic acid, 0.602 mg/m$\ell$ in St. B humic acid, 0.84 mg/m$\ell$ in St. C humic acid and 0.105 mg/m$\ell$ in standard humic acid.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.114-122
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• 1995

Complexation experiment between humic acid and heavy metal cations was conducted to clear information on heavy metal adsorption by soil organic constituent. The absorbance of UV-visible light of humic acid-metal complexes increased with increasing wavelength, and the order of their absorbance was in the order of Zn->Cd->Cu- saturated humic acid. Carboxyl and phenolic OH groups participated in the complex formation between heavy metal cations and functional groups of humic acid, and the amounts complex was in the order of $Cu^{+{+}}$ > $Zn^{+{+}}$ $\geq$ $Cd^{+{+}}$. The stability constants of humic acid-metal complexes increased with increasing pH, and the order of first stability constants was $Zn^{+{+}}$ > $Cd^{+{+}}$ > $Cu^{+{+}}$, and those of second and overall stability constants were $Cu^{+{+}}$ > $Zn^{+{+}}$ > $Cd^{+{+}}$. With increasing pH, the average binding numbers betwen heavy metal cations and functional groups of humic acid increased the order of $Cu^{+{+}}$ > $Zn^{+{+}}$ > $Cd^{+{+}}$. It was postulated that two types of complexations between heavy metal cations and functional groups of humic acid. One was the reactions in which only carboxyl groups participated to form complexes, and the other was those in which both carboxyl and phenolic OH groups simultaneously participated.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.122-132
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• 2011

Mercury accumulates in biota mainly as methylmercury. In nature, methylmercury shows high affinity to organic matter and $CH_3Hg^+$-organic matter complexation affects the mobility and bioavailabiity of methylmercury. In this study, we examined the methylmercury binding sites in an aquatic humic acid as affected by the pH condition using Hg $L_{III}$-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). We evaluated methylmercury binding humic ligands using methylmercury-thiol, methylmerury-carboxyl, and methylmercury-amine complexation models. When $CH_3Hg^+$-to-humic reduced sulfur ratio is 0.3, we found that most of $CH_3Hg^+$ binds to thiol ligands at pH 5 and 7. At pH 7, however, some carboxyl or amine ligand contribution is observed, unlike at pH 5 where $CH_3Hg^+$ almost exclusively binds to thiol ligands. The carboxyl or amine ligand contribution may indicate that some types of thiol ligands in the natural organic matter have relatively low complexation constants or acid dissociation constants compared to those of some carboxyl or amine ligands. Analysis results indicate that ~0.2 fraction of methylmercury binds to amine or carboxyl ligands and ~0.8 to thiol ligands at pH 7.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.13-23
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• 1999

In this research, 3-hydroxypyridine(2-HP) metabolic ability of starving Arthrobacter crystallopoietes cell and the effect of humic acid on the metabolism of this starving cell were evaluated. 2-HP metabolic ability of exponential phase cell (acclimated cell) was much higher than that of lag phase cell (unacclimated cell) during starvation period. After 3 days of starvation, 2-HP half-life of the acclimated cell was 14 hours and that of the unacclimated cell was 46.5 hours. Humic acid enhanced the stability of 2-HP monooxygenase of starving co]1 and, after 2 days of starvation, the residual activity rate of this enzyme of the microbial cell starved in humic acid solution was 12% while the rate for control condition was 1.5%. After 14 days of starvation, 2-HP half-life for control condition was 43 hours and that for humic acid condition was 1.25 hour.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.5C
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• pp.229-237
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• 2009

A conventional way of backfilling has used sand or in-situ soil. It not only requires substantial amount of time and cost but also makes it particularly difficult to fill the bottom part and small cracks of a pipe. To address the problem with the conventional method of compaction, liquefied stabilized soil was proposed as an alternative because it reuses in-situ soil which can ensure sand supply while adjusting flowability and strength of the soil with design of mix proportion. With an aim to identify the mixing properties of liquefied stabilized soil depending on the organic content of in-situ soil, this study conducted indoor tests of material segregation, flowability, strength, and permeability by changing humic acid content of the soil. The results revealed that material segregation and flowability increased proportionally while strength decreased with the increased amount of humic acid. In the mean time, permeability of liquefied stabilized soil wasn't affected by organic content.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.177-179
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• 2019

Pseudomonas kribbensis CHA-19 was isolated from a temperate forest soil (mid latitude) in New Jersey, USA, for its ability to degrade humic acids, a main component of humic substances (HS), and subsequently confirmed to be able to decolorize lignin (a surrogate for HS) and catabolize lignin-derived ferulic and vanillic acids. The draft genome sequence of CHA-19 was analyzed to discover the putative genes for depolymerization of polymeric HS (e.g., dye-decolorizing peroxidases and laccase-like multicopper oxidases) and catabolic degradation of HS-derived small aromatics (e.g., vanillate O-demethylase and biphenyl 2,3-dioxygenase). The genes for degradative activity were used to propose a HS degradation pathway of soil bacteria.