Author(s)

S. Mazzuoli, A. Tognazzi, F. Bartolini, S. Loiselle & C. Rossi

Abstract

Humic substances are macromolecules that naturally occur in all environments in which vegetation matter are present. The group of molecules that are considered humic substances vary greatly and are characterised by an extremely complex structure. Humic substances play a fundamental role in many ecosystems, since they interact with toxic metal ions present in the system, determining a decrease in the bio-availability of such ions. In the present paper, we report an investigation to quantify the ability of humic acids to complex the metal ions. We used Atomic Absorbance Spectroscopy to determine the heavy metal concentrations complexed in different concentrations and environmental conditions by humic acid. This method is based on the use of membranes of known molecular cut off, w

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