No abstract

Fractions of humic acids, resolved by ultrafiltration of extracts from a sample of peat treated with alkaline pyrophosphate solution, have been submitted to high-performance size-exclusion chromatography, with the aim of determining the molecular weight distributions. Anomalous peaks, located at retention volumes higher than those corresponding to the main signal, are present in the elution profiles relative to the lightest fractions. These peaks are more intense when using a refractive index detector rather than a UV detector. Elemental analysis data for the lightest fractions suggested that the spurious peaks are due to the presence of inorganic material. The hypothesis that pyrophosphate interacts with humic acids in the course of the extraction has been confirmed by colorimetric determination of the phosphorus content in the different fractions. As a consequence, the extraction procedure has been modified by using 0.1 mol/L NaOH as extractant.The average molecular weights of the various fractions, following NaOH extraction, result in substantial agreement with those obtained following pyrophosphate solution extraction (if the ‘pyrophosphate peaks’ present in the chromatographic profile are discarded in the calculations)

Determination of P concentration in dilute solutions is currently Used to assess P loadings to fresh and marine waters from nonpoint sources. The aim was to ascertain possible P overestimates from interferences caused by the presence of silica. The commonly used methods of Murphy and Riley, Dick and Tabatabai, and the Italian “Instituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque” (IRSA) were tested for possible interferences caused by Si/P ratios (1000–5000) similar to those reported to occur in soil solutions and in groundwaters. The three methods overestimated P concentration due to the presence of Si in the solutions, especially if the spectrophotometric readings were taken more than 10 min from the addition of the reagents. The least interference occurred with the procedure of Murphy and Riley, which is therefore recommended.

No abstract

A category of chromium (Cr)-containing fertilizers is represented by the fertilizers deriving from byproducts of tanning process. Their use is widespread because of their good agronomic response due to the high content of slow release or- ganic nitrogen (N) and carbon (C). They do not represent an environmental hazard because only the non-toxic form of Cr(III) is present. Productive processes may involve chemical, enzymatic or thermal hydrolysis. The final product is characterized by different contents of peptides and free amino acids depending on the type of hydrolysis. Legislation concerning Cr-containing fertilizers is controversial because often do not consider any scientific evidences; nevertheless, the European Union, the United States and countries as Italy, do not set the restriction to Cr(III) and generally only the presence of the toxic form, Cr(VI), is limited. Depending on its two main oxidation forms, Cr issue has been studied for many years. Several authors confirmed that Cr(VI) is carcinogenic, while Cr(III) is an essential trace element in human and animal diet. In soil Cr(III) has low mobility, whereas Cr(VI) is highly water soluble. However Cr(VI) in soil is quickly reduced to Cr(III); on the contrary oxidation of Cr(III) to Cr(VI) is rarely possible because particular conditions must occur. Only a very small fraction of Cr in soil is available to plant uptake and its translocation in edible parts is limited because it is immobilized in roots as Cr(III). Therefore risks of environmental pollution using these fertilizers are negligible; on the contrary they have positive environmental and agronomical effects. The aim of this review is to deal with the category of the organic fertilizers containing Cr derived from tannery processes focusing on its chemical, productive, legislative, environmental and agronomical aspects. Special attention is given to the ambiguous issue of Cr briefly summarizing the most important studies of the last forty years.