Abstract
Four fractions (A, B, C, and D) of humic acids (HAs) were separated based on the polarity from weak to strong. UV-vis absorption and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis show that the fractions C and Dpossessedmore aromatic C=C content. The influences of HAs and their fractions on the photolysis were investigated by the photodegradation of 2,4-D solutions under simulated solar light irradiation. The degradation rate of 2,4-D was found to decrease in the presence of bulk HAs or their fractions especially at high HAs concentration. The fractions of strong polarity C and D retarded the degradation rate more than the fractions of weak polarity A and B. This could be attributed to the different absorption intensity of the four HAs fractions in the order of D ⩾ C > A > B, and the stronger π-π electron donor-acceptor interactions between the strong polar fractions and 2,4-D.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Jones M N, Bryan N D. Colloidal properties of humic substances. Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, 1998, 78: 1–48
Li L, Zhao Z Y, Huang W L, Peng P, Sheng G, Fu J. Characterization of humic acids fractionated by ultrafiltration. Organic Geochemistry, 2004, 35: 1025–1037
Hessler DP, Frimmel F H, Oliveros E, Braun A M. Quenching of singlet oxygen (1Δg) by humic substances. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, 1996, 36: 55–60
Schmitt Ph, Freitag D, Sanlaville Y, Lintelman J. Capillary electrophoretic study of atrazine photolysis. Journal of Chromatography A, 1995, 709: 215–225
Minero C, Pramauro E, Pelizzetti E, Dolci M, Marchesini A. Photosensitized transformations of atrazine under simulated sunlight in aqueous humic acid solution. Chemosphere, 1992, 24: 1597–1606
Ou X X, Quan X, Chen S, Zhao H, Zhang Y. Atrazine photodegradation in aqueous solution induced by interaction of humic acids and iron: Photoformation of iron(II) and hydrogen peroxide. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2007, 55: 8650–8656
Garbin J R, Milori D M B P, Simões M L, da Silva W T L, Neto L M. Influence of humic substances on the photolysis of aqueous pesticide residues. Chemosphere, 2007, 66: 1692–1698
Selli E, Baglio D, Montanarella L, Bidoglio G. Role of humic acids in the TiO2-photocatalyzed degradation of tetrachloroethene in water. Water Research, 1999, 33(8): 1827–1836
Tchaikovskaya O N, Sokolova I V, Yudina N V. Fluorescence analysis of photoinduced degradation of ecotoxicants in the presence of humic acids. Luminescence, 2005, 20: 187–191
Bachman J, Patterson H H. Photodecomposition of the carbamate pesticide carbofuran: Kinetics and the influence of dissolved organic matter. Environmental Science and Technology, 1999, 33: 874–881
Aguer J P, Richard C, Andreux F. Comparison of the photoinductive properties of commercial, synthetic and soilextracted humic substances. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry, 1997, 103: 163–168
Curtis M A, Witt A F, Schram S B, Rogers L B. Humic acid fractionation using a nearly linear pH gradient. Analytical Chemistry, 1981, 53: 1195–1199
Aguer J P, Trubetskaya O, Trubetskoj O, Richard C. Photoinductive properties of soil humic acids and their fractions obtained by tandem size exclusion chromatography-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Chemosphere, 2001, 44: 205–209
Wu F C, Evans R D, Dillon P J, Cai Y R. Rapid quantification of humic and fulvic acids by HPLC in natural waters. Applied Geochemistry, 2007, 22: 1598–1605
Trubetskoj O A, Trubetskaya O E, Afanas’eva G V, Reznikova O I, Saizjimenez C. Polyacrylamide gel electro-phoresis of soil humic acid fractionated by size-exclusion chromatography and ultrafiltration. Journal of Chromatography A, 1997, 767: 285–292
Wu F C, Evans R D, Dillon P J. High-performance liquid chromatographic fractionation and characterization of fulvic acid. Analytica Chimica Acta, 2002, 464: 47–55
Cavani L, Ciavatta C, Trubetskaya O E, Reznikova O I, Trubestskoj O A. Capillary zone electrophoresis of soil humic acid fractions obtained by coupling size-exclusion chromatography and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Journal of Chromatography A, 2003, 983: 263–270
Richard C, Trubetskaya O, Trubetskoj O, Reznikova O I, Afanaseva G, Guyot G. Key role of the low molecular size fraction of soil humic acids for fluorescence and photoinductive activity. Environmental Science and Technology, 2004, 38: 2052–2057
Wen B, Zhang J J, Zhang S Z, Shan X Q, Khan S U, Xing B. Phenanthrene sorption to soil humic acid and different humin fractions. Environmental Science and Technology, 2007, 41: 3165–3171
Daidai M, Kobayashi F, Mtui G, et al. Degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) by ozonation and TiO2/UV treatment. Journal of Chemical Engineering of Japan, 2007, 40(4): 378–384
de Amarante O P, Brito N M, dos Santos T C R, Nunes G S. Determination of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and its major transformation product in soil samples by liquid chromatographic analysis. Talanta, 2003, 60: 115–121
Campos S X, Vieira E M, Cordeiro P J M, Rodrigues-Fo E, Murgu M. Degradation of the herbicide 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) dimethylamine salt by gamma radiation from cobalt-60 in aqueous solution containing humic acid. Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 2003, 68: 781–786
Davis W M, Erickson C L, Johnston C T, Delfine J J. Quantitative Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic investigation of humic substance functional group composition. Chemosphere, 1999, 38(12): 2913–2928
Korshin G V, Li C W, Benjamin M M. Monitoring the properties of natural organic matter through UV spectroscopy: A consistent theory. Water Research, 1997, 31(7): 1787–1795
Fuentes M, González-Gaitano G, García-Mina J M. The usefulness of UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopies to study the chemical nature of humic substances from soils and composts. Organic Geochemistry, 2006, 37: 1949–1959
Chen J, Gu B H, LeBoeuf E J, Pan H, Dai S. Spectroscopic characterization of the structural and functional properties of natural organic matter fractions. Chemosphere, 2002, 48: 59–68
Fukushima M, Tatsumi K, Nagao S. Degradation characteristics of humic acid during photo-Fenton processes. Environmental Science and Technology, 2001, 35: 3683–3690
Almendros G, Kgathi D, Sekhwela M, Zancada M, Tinoco P, Pardo T. Biogeochemical assessment of resilient humus formations from virgin and cultivated northern Botswana soils. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2003, 51: 4321–4330
Davies G, Fataftah A, Radwan A, Jansen S A. Isolation of humic acid from the terrestrial plant Brugmansia sanguinea. The Science of the Total Environment, 1997, 201: 79–87
Palladino G, Ferri D, Manfredi C, Vasca E. Potentiometric determination of the total acidity of humic acids by constantcurrent coulometry. Analytica Chimica Acta, 2007, 582: 164–173
Enriquez R, Pichat P. Interactions of humic acid, quinoline, and TiO2 in water in relation to quinoline photocatalytic removal. Langmuir, 2001, 17: 6132–6137
Fu H B, Quan X, Liu Z Y, Chen S. Photoinduced transformation of γ-HCH in the presence of dissolved organic matter and enhanced photoreactive activity of humate-coated α-Fe2O3. Langmuir, 2004, 20: 4867–4873
Hesketh N, Jones M N, Tipping E. The interaction of some pesticides and herbicides with humic substances. Analytica Chimica Acta, 1996, 327: 191–201
Trubetskaya O, Trubetskoj O, Richard C. Photodegrading properties of soil humic acids fractionated by SEC-PAGE set-up. Are they connected with absorbance? Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry, 2007, 189: 247–252
Zhu D, Hyun S, Pignatello J J, Lee L S. Evidence for π-π electron donor-acceptor interactions between π-donor aromatic compounds and π-acceptor sites in soil organic matter through pH effects on sorption. Environmental Science and Technology, 2004, 38: 4361–4368
Fukushima M, Tanabe Y, Morimoto K, Tatsumi K. Role of humic acid fraction with higher aromaticity in enhancing the activity of a biomimetic catalyst, tetra (p-sulfonatophenyl) porphineiron (III). Biomacromolecules, 2007, 8: 386–391
Qu F C. Characterization of HA fractions fractionated from soil humic substance and study on their photochemical effects. Dissertation for the Master’s Degree. Dalian: Dalian University of Technology, 2006 (in Chinese)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yu, C., Quan, X., Ou, X. et al. Effects of humic acid fractions with different polarities on photodegradation of 2,4-D in aqueous environments. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. China 2, 291–296 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-008-0049-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-008-0049-1