A novel model of humin

Eric Lichtfouse (1)

1 ASD - Agronomy for Sustainable Development

Our poor knowledge of the structure and formation of humic substances stems from the lack of suitable tools which enable the study of the molecular structure of these complex, yellow-brownish materials. Here, several findings using a combination of isotopic, pyrolytic, microscopic and gas chromatographic methods lead to the proposal of a novel model of humin structure. The formation of humin should thus involve at least three processes: selective preservation of microbial, straight-chain biopolymers; physical encapsulation of apolar substances by weak forces; and chemical binding by covalent bonds.

Mots clés: humin; humic acids; soil; 13C; lignin; Maillard; biopolymer; n-alkanes; phytol; encapsulation; biomarker; pristene; sterol; maize; bound residues

Domaines: Science des sols

Eric Lichtfouse. A novel model of humin. Analusis, 1999, 27 (5), pp.385-386. ⟨hal-00262443⟩