Proton binding to soil humic and fulvic acids: Experiments and NICA-Donnan modeling

Proton binding to one soil fulvic acid (JGFA), two soil humic acids (JGHA, JLHA) and a lignite-based humic acid (PAHA) was investigated. The results were fitted to NICA-Donnan model and compared directly with the predictions using the generic parameters. NICA-Donnan model can describe proton binding satisfactorily when parameter fitting is allowed for humic substance (HS). However, predictions based on the generic parameter sets deviate for soil samples in a non-systematic way from the measured results. Replacing Qmax,H1 in generic parameter sets with material-specific values improves the predictions for soil HA significantly. For JGFA, the agreement between the model prediction and data is still not satisfactory after substitution. This is due to a very different pattern of site distribution of JGFA from that of generic FA. For two other soil FAs (FH-14, FH-22 of Milne's database) the generic predictions can be improved significantly with material-specific Qmax,H1. Adjusting also Qmax,H2 to HS material-specific value improves the prediction only slightly further. In practice, Qmax,H1 and Qmax,H2 of HS can be obtained in a relatively simple way by performing one acid–base titration at a given ionic strength and applying the procedure of Lenoir et al. to fit data to NICA equation. Introduction of thus obtained Qmax,H1 and Qmax,H2 into generic parameter sets improves the generic predictions significantly. The functional group contents as obtained by SG-method are not adequate for this purpose.