Effect of Pig Manure Application on Structural Characteristics of Humic Acids in Brown Soil

The effect of application of pig manure (PM) on the structural characteristics of humic acids (HAs) of brown soil was studied in field and incubation experiments. The results showed that the number-average molecular weights (Mn), the ratios of C/ H, C/ N and O/C, the contents of carboxyl and phenolic hydroxyl groups, the content ofaromatic C, the values of E2, E4and λ Exmax of HAs all decreased; whereas, the contents of alkyl C and O-alkyl C, the ratio of carboxyl to phenolic hydroxyl groups, the degree of oxidation stability, the absorption intensity at 285 mμ (UV), and 2920cm-1 of HAs increased after the application of PM. The above results indicated that the molecular structure of HAs tended to be more aliphatic and simpler after the application of PM.