Carbon sequestration is a process of carbon dioxide capture and deposition in organic reservoirs. Exchange of carbon occurs continuously between the atmosphere and soils. Soil organic matter is a heterogenous mixture of organic substances. Non-living, non-tissue soil organic matter is called humus. Humus is composed of humic and non-humic substances.  Based on solubility and molecular weight range, humic substances are classified as fulvic acid, humic acid or humin. Samples of soils were collected from three native prairies and adjacently located cultivated soils. Humic acid and fulvic acid were extracted from the native prairie soils and cultivated soils.  Humification Indices were calculated as the HA/FA.  Significant differences in the Humification Index were found for the native prairie sites compared to the cultivated soils. The humic acid and fulvic acid fractions will be spectrally analyzed using infrared spectroscopy and both carbon thirteen and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Humic acid and fulvic acid fractions extracted from native prairie soils and control soils in Illinois

245th National Meeting (2013)

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