Investigation of soil humic substances from different environments using TG-FTIR and multivariate data analysis

The pollution of terrestrial ecosystems is reflected by the structural char acteristics of the humic substances they contain. We studied the thermal be haviour of humic substances (fulvic acids and humic acids) from differently polluted soils in an attempt to identify possible links to structural chan ges in the substances. Using a coupled analysis technique comprising thermo gravimetry/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and multivariate data an alysis, correlations with elemental composition were calculated and classif ications with model classes ascertained. The findings showed that stress si tuations in soils are reflected in the thermal characteristics of the humic acid fractions. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.