ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Metal-Humus Acid Nanoparticles - Synthesis,
Characterization and Molecular Modeling
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1
Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Rzeszow, Poland
2
Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Chemistry, Rzeszow University of Technology,
Rzeszów, Poland
3
Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Rzeszow University of Technology,
Rzeszów, Poland
Submission date: 2020-05-26
Final revision date: 2020-09-25
Acceptance date: 2020-10-15
Online publication date: 2021-04-21
Publication date: 2021-07-07
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2021;30(4):3587-3599
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ABSTRACT
It was found, the following ions of heavy metal: Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Os, Ir, Pt or Au are aggregated in
humic acids. This gave an idea to create a tool that would detoxify soil (contaminated by heavy metals)
by phytoremediation using the peat in suitable reaction composition. In the work nanoparticles with
the use of humic/fulvic acid and silver, zirconium and copper have been produced and they have been
analyzed by Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis, Dynamic Light Scattering, Scanning Electron Microscopy
and Transmission Electron Microscopy methods. Moreover, molecular modeling of fulvic acid and
humic acid have been performed with the use of DFT methods. The fulvic acid molecule forms only salt
with the tested metal ions. The structure of humic acid molecule allows the coordination of the metal
ion by means of three single bonds. It results in formation of the specific conformation of molecule
with “the window” which diameter is about 7.3 Å and depends on the size of tested metal ion. This
molecule conformation is responsible for the metal ion catching. The modeling of humus acids allowed
to determine the most stable conformation, the places of potential attachment, and help in visualization
the model of the obtained nanoparticle.