Interaction of some metals between marine-origin humic acids and aqueous solutions.

The interaction of metal ions (carrier-free form) in aquatic medium with humic acids is a complicated process depending on the properties of humic acids (elementary, chemical, and trace element composition), metals studied (valence, charge, chemical form, concentration), and medium used (pH, ionic strength). The use of radionuclides was found to be very suitable for a rapid and precise determination of the distribution coefficient Kd (ratio of the concentration of a certain trace metal association with a gram of humic acid over the concentration of the same trace metal per milliliter of solution) of the investigated system. Isolated humic acids from offshore sediments from the North Adriatic (Lim channel, near Rovinj, Yugoslavia) were characterized according to their elementary composition, the amount of products of hydrolysis, and the trace elements bound. All experiments were carried out between pH 3 and 5. It was found that conditions usually present at the site where humic acid interacts with metal ions (anaerobic conditions, H2S) in brackish (21% S) and standard seawater (38% S) are determined in the pH range 3 to 5. The results of the pick-up (uptake) and replacement (release) experiments are presented as a distribution coefficient (Kd), as a function of contact time. Processes of pick-up and replacement of a number of metals under various physicochemical conditions were investigated and special attention was paid to the influence of salinity. With the increase in NaCl concentration and pH in the system, the fixation of ruthenium, zinc, cobalt, and mercury by humic acids decreased. The liberation and fixation of metal ions along the coastal seawater are important for the marine ecosystem.