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Humic Matter

Humic matter is the major fraction of the organic content in soil, which is principally the result of digested and decomposed plants and vegetation. At a pH above 2, dissolved humic matter will consist of humic acid and fulvic acid.

Laboratory analysis is described in ChemScan Method Summary #158, Aquatic Humic Substances.

ChemScan Analysis Method

Humic and fulvic acids both have strong uv absorbance signatures. Filtered or settled raw water samples can be analyzed for humic matter using a shared wavelength for analysis and a second wavelength for subtraction of turbidity on the UV-0254 analyzer or using a full spectrum ChemScan analyzer for analysis of the complete uv absorbance signature. Results are shown as DOC (See ChemScan Method Summary #159, Dissolved Organic Carbon and #158, Aquatic Humic Substances). Humic and fulvic acid can also be analyzed with tannic acid as the components of Natural Organic Matter (See ChemScan Method Summary #68).