Abstract: | Analysis of peat samples from four regions of the British Isles indicates that the concentrations of Al, Pb and common transition metals tend, as expected, to be higher in regions subject to industrial pollution, but that the concentrations of the non transition metals Na, K, Mg, Ca and Zn tend to be higher in regions remote from industrial pollution. Humic acids were extracted from the most polluted and least polluted of the peat samples and some characteristics of these acids were compared with those of two commercial acids. Values for stability constants of complexes formed between humic acids extracted from peat and Cu2+, Zn2+ or Pb2+ have been obtained by an ion exchange equilibrium method. Of the three metal ions examined, Pb2+ was found to form the most stable humic acid complexes, followed by Cu2+: this order agrees with the findings of Irving and Williams and of Bunzl. Implications to the binding of actinide and other heavy metal ions in aqueous humic acid are discussed. |