Chemical characterization of humic substances occurring in the peats of Sarawak, Malaysia

The chemical characteristics of humic substances (HS) extracted from several samples of peat soils of Sarawak, Malaysia, were determined by size exclusion chromatography, FTIR, UV–Vis, acid–base titration, and elemental and total hydrolysable carbohydrate analyses. The results showed that the total...

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Main Authors: Sim, Siong Fong, Murtedza, Mohamed
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier Ltd. 2007
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/8440/
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/8440/1/Chemical%20characterization%20of%20humic%20substances%20occurring%20%28abstract%29.pdf
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author Sim, Siong Fong
Murtedza, Mohamed
author_facet Sim, Siong Fong
Murtedza, Mohamed
author_sort Sim, Siong Fong
building UNIMAS Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The chemical characteristics of humic substances (HS) extracted from several samples of peat soils of Sarawak, Malaysia, were determined by size exclusion chromatography, FTIR, UV–Vis, acid–base titration, and elemental and total hydrolysable carbohydrate analyses. The results showed that the total acidity of these HS ranged between 5.8 and 8.3 meq/g, with a clear indication that the fulvic acid component contained more carboxylic groups compared to humic acids. A comparison with the literature data for HS occurring elsewhere showed that the tropical peat of Sarawak has higher carboxylic and phenolic contents, is richer in carbohydrate moiety and also is more oxygenated. The UV–Vis analyses gave a relatively high E4/E6 ratio, implying the prominence of aliphatic components. The relatively lower range of Mw further suggested the dominance of smaller-sized humic molecules. These structural attributes suggest that the local HS may exhibit a strong complexing capability and greater susceptibility to electrophilic cleavage by trihalomethane-forming agents.
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spelling unimas-84402015-07-31T02:33:18Z http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/8440/ Chemical characterization of humic substances occurring in the peats of Sarawak, Malaysia Sim, Siong Fong Murtedza, Mohamed GE Environmental Sciences The chemical characteristics of humic substances (HS) extracted from several samples of peat soils of Sarawak, Malaysia, were determined by size exclusion chromatography, FTIR, UV–Vis, acid–base titration, and elemental and total hydrolysable carbohydrate analyses. The results showed that the total acidity of these HS ranged between 5.8 and 8.3 meq/g, with a clear indication that the fulvic acid component contained more carboxylic groups compared to humic acids. A comparison with the literature data for HS occurring elsewhere showed that the tropical peat of Sarawak has higher carboxylic and phenolic contents, is richer in carbohydrate moiety and also is more oxygenated. The UV–Vis analyses gave a relatively high E4/E6 ratio, implying the prominence of aliphatic components. The relatively lower range of Mw further suggested the dominance of smaller-sized humic molecules. These structural attributes suggest that the local HS may exhibit a strong complexing capability and greater susceptibility to electrophilic cleavage by trihalomethane-forming agents. Elsevier Ltd. 2007 Article NonPeerReviewed text en http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/8440/1/Chemical%20characterization%20of%20humic%20substances%20occurring%20%28abstract%29.pdf Sim, Siong Fong and Murtedza, Mohamed (2007) Chemical characterization of humic substances occurring in the peats of Sarawak, Malaysia. Organic Geochemistry, 38 (6). pp. 967-976. ISSN 0146-6380 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0146638007000034# doi:10.1016/j.orggeochem.2006.12.010
spellingShingle GE Environmental Sciences
Sim, Siong Fong
Murtedza, Mohamed
Chemical characterization of humic substances occurring in the peats of Sarawak, Malaysia
title Chemical characterization of humic substances occurring in the peats of Sarawak, Malaysia
title_full Chemical characterization of humic substances occurring in the peats of Sarawak, Malaysia
title_fullStr Chemical characterization of humic substances occurring in the peats of Sarawak, Malaysia
title_full_unstemmed Chemical characterization of humic substances occurring in the peats of Sarawak, Malaysia
title_short Chemical characterization of humic substances occurring in the peats of Sarawak, Malaysia
title_sort chemical characterization of humic substances occurring in the peats of sarawak, malaysia
topic GE Environmental Sciences
url http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/8440/
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/8440/
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/8440/
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/8440/1/Chemical%20characterization%20of%20humic%20substances%20occurring%20%28abstract%29.pdf