Research pick: For Peat’s sake - "Characterisation of humic acids in fen peat"

Low wetlands known as fens, store huge amounts of organic matter, usually in the form of peat, which is old, decomposed vegetable matter. Drained, agricultural fenland is thus of great importance in terms of growing crops and also fens in general from the perspective of the organic carbon biogeochemical cycle. Work published in the International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology has looked at the chemical characterization of the vast range of humic acids present in fenland peat.

Janis Krumins, Maris Klavins, and Raimonds Krukovskis of the Department of the Environmental Science in the Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences at the University of Latvia, in Riga, Latvia, explain how humic acids form the major part of fen peat organic matter. “They are also the most refractory and recalcitrant natural substances to degradation,” the team writes, “and thus they contain essential information regarding mire and peat development over large periods of time as well as the organic carbon biogeochemical cycle.”

The team has compared the properties of humic acids isolated from different fen peats of varied botanical compositions and origins. They hope to understand better the humification process that leads to the formation of peat. “The formation of humic acids of varied origins shows similarities; however, at the same time, differences can be found in the further development of humic acids, depending on the environment in which they are present,” the team reports.

At a time, when the importance of fenland and peat conservation are high on the environmental agenda, the work could guide the use of this invaluable resource in a less potentially malignant way. “Fen peat is a potential source for humic acid extraction on an industrial scale; however, geological settings and peat botanical composition of a potential excavation site must be evaluated in high detail in future studies,” the team writes. The better a picture we have of the chemical composition of peat, the easier it will be to utilize this limited resource more wisely.

Krumins, J., Klavins, M. and Krukovskis, R. (2020) ‘Characterisation of humic acids in fen peat‘, Int. J. Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp.74-89.