Assessing extracted organic matter quality from river sediments by elemental and molecular characterization: Application to the Tietê and Piracicaba Rivers (São

International audienceUrban river pollution causes serious problems to the environment, human health, and water scarcity. Developing tools to identify and assess the health of aquatic river systems is essential for monitoring the quality of rivers and implementing actions. This study assesses the elemental and molecular characteristics of organic matter (OM

Hydrochar obtained with by-products from the sugarcane industry: Molecular features and effects of extracts on maize seed germination

Sugarcane bagasse, vinasse and a mixture of sugarcane bagasse and vinasse were hydrothermally carbonized (HTC), with and without the addition of phosphoric acid, in order to propose new applications of sucroenergetic industry by-products on soil. Detailed information on the composition and properties of hydrochars has been obtained through elemental composition, thermogravimetric analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance and, ther- mochemolysis GC-MS. The soluble acidic fraction from the hydrochar samples were applied to maize seeds to evaluate the agronomic potential as biostimulants and relate the molecular features with maize seed germina- tion. The HTC treatment converted polysaccharide-based biomasses into hydrochars with hydrophobic charac- teristics (C-Aryl and C-Akyl). Furthermore, the addition of phosphoric acid further increased the overall hydrophobicity and shifted the thermal degradation of the hydrochars to higher temperatures. Biomass influ - enced the hydrochars that formed, in which the molecular features of sugarcane bagasse determined the for- mation of more polar hydrochar, due to the preservation of lignin and phenolic components. Meanwhile, the HTC of vinasse resulted in a more hydrophobic product with an enrichment of condensed and recalcitrant organic fractions. The germination assay showed that polar structures of bagasse may play a role in improving the maize seeds germination rate (increase of ~11%), while the hydrophobic domains showed negative effects. The re- sponses obtained in germination seems to be related to the molecular characteristics that organic extracts can present in solution

Humic extracts from hydrochar and Amazonian Anthrosol: Molecular features and metal binding properties using EEM-PARAFAC and 2D FTIR correlation analyses

International audienc

Seasonal studies of aquatic humic substances from Amazon rivers: characterization and interaction with Cu (II), Fe (II), and Al (III) using EEM-PARAFAC and 2D FTIR correlation analyses

International audienceAquatic humic substances (AHS) are defined as an important components of organic matter, being composed as small molecules in a supramolecular structure and can interact with metallic ions, thereby altering the bioavailability of these species. To better understand this behavior, AHS were extracted and characterized from Negro River, located near Manaus city and Carú River, that is situated in Itacoatiara city, an area experiencing increasing anthropogenic actions; both were characterized as blackwater rivers. The AHS were characterized by $^{13}$C nuclear magnetic ressonance and thermochemolysis GC–MS to obtain structural characteristics. Interaction studies with Cu (II), Al (III), and Fe (III) were investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy applied to parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) and two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (2D-COS FTIR). The AHS from dry season had more aromatic fractions not derived from lignin and had higher content of alkyls moities from microbial sources and vegetal tissues of autochthonous origin, while AHS isolated in the rainy season showed more metals in its molecular architecture, lignin units, and polysacharide structures. The study showed that AHS composition from rainy season were able to interact with Al (III), Fe (III), and Cu (II). Two fluorescent components were identified as responsible for interaction: C1 (blue-shifted) and C2 (red-shifted). C1 showed higher complexation capacities but with lower complexation stability constants (KML ranged from 0.3 to 7.9 × 105) than C2 (KML ranged from 3.1 to 10.0 × 105). 2D-COS FTIR showed that the COO$^−$ and C-O in phenolic were the most important functional groups for interaction with studied metallic ions