Characterization of groundwater humic and fulvic acids of different origin by GPC with UV/Vis and fluorescence detection

Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) was applied for recognizing the origin of groundwater humic and fulvic acids. GPC was performed with Fraktogel TSK HW-50 in 0.1 M NaCl, pH 8.5 (0.05 M phosphate buffer), 1 mM EDTA, with 10% by volume methanol added. Humic substances from groundwaters and sediments of four different aquifer systems in Germany were isolated, purified and characterized. Both UV/Vis and fluorescence detection were applied. UV/Vis detection was found to be more powerful in identifying differences between the various humic and fulvic acids. The four aquifer systems investigated (“Gorleben”, “Fuhrberg”, “Franconian Albvorland” and “Munich”) differed from one another with respect to hydrological and geochemical conditions. The results showed that the GPC-elution behavior reflects the geochemical environment and origin (source material and generation process) of aquatic humic and fulvic acids.