Reality #1: We have explained elsewhere in this website why raw Leonardites do not give the same stimulating results as soluble humates. To help clarify those reasons, we have done extensive testing on many available raw lignites (Leonardites) and have found that many claims are inaccurate. For example, lignites from New Mexico contain 63 - 65 % organic mass, of which about 60% are humic and fulvic acids. About 35 - 37% of this material consists by mineral ballasts. The total amount of humic and fulvic acids in these raw lignites are chemically and biologically inactive, because their functional groups are blocked by ions of Fe, Ca, Mg, Al and other metals. Therefore, both the humic and fulvic acids in these raw lignites are insoluble.
Table 1: Comparing characteristics of various lignites
|
Name of the indices |
New Mexico |
Canada |
Russia |
TeraVita Lignite Mix |
| Seller claim of Humic and Fulvic Acids, % | 80 | 85 | 75 | - |
|
1. Total mineral mass, % |
37.2 |
12.9 |
9.5 |
9.1 |
|
2. Total organic mass, % |
62.8 |
83.1 |
90.5 |
90.9 |
|
Total, % |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
3. Mass part of lignite, soluble in NaOH, % |
65.3 |
91.0 |
74.5 |
86.9 |
|
4. Mass part of lignite , insoluble in NaOH, % |
34.7 |
9.0 |
25.5 |
13.1 |
|
Total, % |
100 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
5.Mass part of Humic Acids and their salts precipitated at pH 2, % |
50.8 |
83.3 |
65.9 |
79.6 |
|
6.Mass part of metals connected with Humic Acids, % |
5.1 |
3.1 |
3.5 |
3.0 |
|
7.Mass part of Fulvic acids,% |
9.4 |
4.6 |
5.1 |
4.3 |
|
Total, % |
65.3 |
91.0 |
74.5 |
86.9 |
|
8. Mass part of Humins, % |
11.2 |
1.2 |
19.6 |
7.1 |
|
9. Mass part of mineral part not connected with Humic Acids, % |
25.5 |
7.8 |
5.9 |
6.0 |
|
Total, % |
34.7 |
9.0 |
25.5 |
13.1 |
Rows 1 & 2 of the above table show the ash content of various lignites. The method to determine the ash content of lignite is based on burning a sample in a muffle oven at 850°C (1,562°F). This allows us to accurately determine the quantity of a lignite's mineral part by using the difference of its initial dry mass and its ash. The data of the above table shows that New Mexico lignites have 3-4 times higher content of mineral ballast than the other examined products.
Rows 3 & 4 show the results of another basic test to determine the Humin content of the lignite. For this test the lignite samples are boiled in a 1% caustic solution for several hours. Within this boiling process all Humic and Fulvic acids, and also the metals connected with them, move into solution. At the same time the lignite’s organic part that has not naturally approached the necessary degree of oxidation (called Humins), stays in precipitation. The precipitate is carefully separated, dried and weighed. Again the results prove the fact that Canadian lignites and the lignite mix used by TeraVita Limited for manufacturing have the highest quantity of the available organic part necessary for plant assimilation.
Rows 5 & 6 of the table give the results of a Humic Acid solution test; those solutions were extracted in previous experiments. Aliquot parts of those solutions were treated with hydrochloric acid to precipitate Humic Acids at pH 2. When precipitating, Humic Acids also take with them ions of metals, which were connected to them in initial lignite mass. Therefore, separating the precipitated part and drying it to a constant weight allows us to determine the Humic Acid content (During this test, the precipitated part is dried and burned in a muffle oven; only the non-organic part is left after the burning process; the difference between the mass of the precipitated part and the ash part gives us the content of Humic Acids). We should bear in mind the fact that Fulvic Acids stay in solution and their quantity is defined by the difference between the mass of the precipitated Humic Acids, their salts and the lignite mass transferred into solution.
Despite that the results of the test show New Mexico lignites have a higher content of Fulvic acids (still far less than is often claimed), the greater than 5% content of metal ions show that the Fulvic as well as Humic Acids are connected into insoluble complexes and are not able to perform biological activity because they are insoluble in water. This also means their natural activation under exposure to moisture, temperature and microbial activity is an extremely slow process. Therefore, the expected achievement of positive results in agriculture with these products is a very lengthy process that requires high dosages of lignites and more importantly, an existence of active and healthy soil micro flora. The last condition, unfortunately, does not exist everywhere, because the natural balance of soils has been largely been damaged by intensive usage and excessive applications of chemical fertilizers. The economic advisability of using raw lignites is also very arguable because the actual cost to treat an acre per season is approximately $30 to $100 USD.
Rows 8 & 9 are the test results of the lignite’s precipitation (insoluble in alkaline solution). Burning of this part in a muffle oven removes the Humins, leaving the non-organic mineral part of the lignite, not connected with Humic Acids.