Inhibition of iron precipitation by humic substances in field drains

Abstract

SummaryFerrous iron is oxidized and precipitated as iron ochre in field drains. In drainage waters taken from an ochre-producing site near Aberdeen, Scotland in 1987, iron deposition was inhibited by the addition of humic and fulvic acids, which form complexes with Fe(II). The inhibition was dependent on the concentrations of soluble humic materials and the proportion of Fe complexed. Iron deposition in the presence of humic substances is discussed in relation to the amount of the cation which is complexed and its oxidation state.