Properties of humic substances from the baltic sea and lake ermistu mud

Scope and GoalHumic substances (HSs) are the product of microbial degradation, chemical polymerisation and oxidation of organic matter. HSs can be divided into different fractions: humic acid (HA), hymatomelanic acid (HMA), fulvic acid (FA) and humin. HSs play a fundamental role in accumulation and exchange processes of chemical compounds (metals and organic pollutants) in the environment. HSs can form soluble complexes that migrate long distances or precipitate, carrying bound cations with them. The migration/precipitation abilities depend on the metal ion, the ion charge, the degree of ionisation of the organic molecule, the ionic strength of the media, and the location of the metal ion.ObjectiveEstonia is rich in the Baltic Sea and lake sediments. Historically, mud has been used in human treatment as a curative mud. High-molecular HSs are an important part of curative mud and they have a strong effect on its properties. The curative mud which is used in human therapy may not be polluted with different organic and inorganic contaminants. The aim of this work is to characterise and compare HSs isolated from the Baltic Sea mud (Haapsalu Bay) and from the sediments of Lake Ermistu (Estonia).Results and ConclusionsWe determined the yield of basic extraction of different HSs components from mud in the course of separation. We found that acid pre-treatment of mud increased the amount of extracted HSs more in the sea mud than in the lake mud. These results show that HSs are bound to the inorganic/organic structure of mud and are released during prolonged treatment with an acid.We performed elemental analysis of the different fractions of HS extracts. HMA fractions had the highest carbon content and the lowest nitrogen content. HMA contains more polysaccharides than amino acid residues. These subunits may cause a better solubility of HMA in water as compared to HA. Acid pre-treatment of the natural sea and the lake mud diminished the content of carbon in most of the HS fractions. The content of nitrogen in the sea and in lake FA diminished by about two times.We determined the metal content in the mud and its HS fractions. We found that the concentration of heavy metals Pb and Cr is lower than