Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Characterization of insolubilized humic acid and its sorption behaviors

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Geology

Abstract

Insolubilized humic acid (IHA) was prepared in the laboratory by heating approach. Through the comparison between the endothermic peaks, optimal heating temperature was determined to be 330°C. The modified IHA then was characterized by TG-DTA, SEM, FTIR, element analysis, and nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms. The removal efficiency of p-nitrophenol from the aqueous solution by adsorption onto solid IHA surfaces was shown to be a function of pH, reaction temperature, and p-nitrophenol concentration. Adsorption equilibrium data satisfactorily fitted the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Under a certain concentration range, the removal rate of p-nitrophenol at pH 3.5 could reach 24, 29, and 35 mg/g at a temperature of 25, 35, and 45±0.1°C. The results suggest that IHA could play a role as a potential efficient absorbent to remove organic contaminants, e.g., utilized to purify water contaminated by organic compounds.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Baker H, Khalili F (2004) Analysis of the removal of lead(II) from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto insolubilized humic acid: temperature and pH dependence. Analytica Chimica Acta 516(1–2):179–186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bambrough CM, Slade RCT, Williams RT (1998) Synthesis of a large pore phenyl-modified mesoporous silica and its characterization by nitrogen and benzene sorption. J Materials Chem 8(3):569–571

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu HB, Quan X (2006) Complexes of fulvic acid on the surface of hematite, goethite and akaganeite: FTIR observation. Chemosphere 63(3):403–410

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giasuddin ABM, Kanel S, Choi H (2007) Adsorption of humic acid onto nanoscale zerovalent iron and its effect on arsenic removal. Environ Sci Technol 41(6):2022–2027

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes MHB, MacCarthy P, Malcolm RL, and Swift RS (1989) the search for structure: setting the scene. In Humic Substances II: In Search of Structure; EdsWiley New York, pp 3–31

  • Kara M, Yuzer H, Sabah E, Celik MS (2003) Adsorption of cobalt from aqueous solutions onto sepiolite. Water Res 37(1):224–232

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim HJ, Baek K, Kim BK, Yang JW (2005) Humic substance-enhanced ultrafiltration for removal of cobalt. J Hazard Mater 122(1–2):31–36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li L, Huang WL, Peng PA, Sheng GY, Fu JM (2003) Chemical and molecular heterogeneity of humic acids repetitively extracted from a peat. Soil Sci Soc Am J 67(3):740–746

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moura MN, Martin MJ, Burguillo FG (2007) A comparative study of the adsorption of humic acid, fulvic acid and phenol onto Bacillus subtilis and activated sludge. J Hazard Mater 149(1):42–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Negrea M, Leone P, Trichet J, Defarge C, Boero V, Gennari M (2004) Characterization of model soil colloids by cryo-scanning electron microscopy. Geoderma 121(1–2):1–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seki H, Suzuki A (1995) Adsorption of heavy metal ions onto insolubilized humic acid. J Colloid Interface Sci 171(2):490–494

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sing KSW, Everett DH, Haul RAW, Moscou L, Pierotti RA, Rouquerol J, Siemieniewska T (1985) Reporting physisorption data for gas/solid systems with special reference to the determination of surface area and porosity. Pure Appl Chem 57(4):603–619

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spark KM, Wells JD, Johnson BB (1997) The interaction of a humic acid with heavy metals. Aust J Soil Res 35(1):89–102

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sutton R, Sposito G (2005) Molecular structure in soil humic substance: new view. Environ Sci Technol 39(23):9009–9016

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Szalay A, Szilágyi M (1967) The association of vanadium with humic acids. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 31(1):1–6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uyguner CS, Bekbolet M (2005) A comparative study on the photocatalytic degradation of humic substances of various origins. Desalination 176(1–3):167–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wen B, Zhang JJ, Zhang SZ, Shan XQ, Khan SU, Xing BX (2007) Phenanthrene sorption to soil humic acid and different humin fractions. Environ Sci Technol 41(9):3165–3171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xing B (2001) Sorption of naphthalene and phenanthrene by soil humic acids. Environ Pollut 111(2):303–309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang X, Bai R (2003) Mechanisms and kinetics of humic acid adsorption onto chitosan-coated granules. J Colloid Interface Sci 264(1):30–38

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express the sincere gratitude to the Natural Science Foundation of Gansu Province in People’s Republic China for offering research fund with Project No. 3ZS041-A25–027. We also thank the Educational Bureau of Gansu Province for Project No. 0501-07.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemistry and Chemical Engineering College, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730070, People’s Republic of China

    Hui Chen & Mingguang Ma

  2. Department of Water Resources Engineering, Lund University, S-22100, Lund, Sweden

    Ronny Berndtsson

  3. School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730070, People’s Republic of China

    Kun Zhu

Authors
  1. Hui Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ronny Berndtsson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mingguang Ma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Kun Zhu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hui Chen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chen, H., Berndtsson, R., Ma, M. et al. Characterization of insolubilized humic acid and its sorption behaviors. Environ Geol 57, 1847–1853 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1472-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1472-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation