Association and colloid-chemical properties of humic acids in aqueous solutions

Abstract

Colloid-chemical properties of humic acids in aqueous solutions have been studied as functions of their concentration, medium pH, and counterion nature. It has been established that, at pH < 4, Na-form humic acids exist in aqueous solutions as 30–120-nm aggregates. At pH > 4, the state of humic acids depends on the solution concentration. At low concentrations, they exist as individual molecules; as the concentration is increased, they associate to form supramolecular structures at 5 mg/dm3 and micelles at 8 g/dm3. An increase in the counterion charge has been shown to decrease the critical concentration of supramolecular structuring. Supramolecular structures have increased adsorbability on clay minerals and promote the manifestation of solubilizing properties of humic acids in solutions even at a concentration of 5 mg/dm3, which is three orders of magnitude lower than the critical micelle concentration (8 g/dm3).