BOOK OF ABSTRACTS 271 IHSS&IWA26 / BRNO / CZECHIA / 23–28 August 2026 Hall A Poster Session / Technologies and Applications P5.9 Influence of Thermal-Catalytic Method Parameters on Elemental Composition aAnd Structural Indices of Artificial Humic Acids Derived from Oak Sawdust Patrycja Boguta1, Adrianna Biedrzycka1, Kamil Skic1 1 Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Doświadczalna 4 str., 20-290 Lublin, Poland, email: p.boguta@ipan.lublin.pl Artificial humification has recently emerged as a rapidly developing field of research [1]. One of the major driving forces behind this trend is the continuously growing problem of organic waste management. The current state of biomass processing remains unsatisfactory, as management practices are still largely based on leaving biomass in the field for natural decomposition, composting, landfilling, or open burning. These approaches contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, the release of pollution gases, surface and groundwater contamination, and the spread of pathogens [2]. Another important factor stimulating research in this area is the extremely long duration of natural humification processes. Such transformation of organic matter may require hundreds to thousands of years, depending on environmental conditions such as temperature, oxygen availability, moisture, and microbial community composition [3]. Additionally, natural resources rich in humic acids, such as leonardite and peat deposits, are limited and poorly renewable [4]. Among the methods of artificial humification investigated to date, torrefaction-based approaches appear to be a promising alternative for the production of humiclike acids, also called artificial humic acids (AHAs). The aim of the study was to investigate how selected parameters of the thermal-catalytic method affect the elemental composition and selected structural indicators of the produced AHAs. Oak sawdust obtained as a waste product from wood processing was used as the research material. Three different particle size fractions were prepared in the study: <0.1 mm, 0.1–0.5 mm, and 0.5–1.0 mm by using laboratory mills and sieves with appropriate mesh sizes. The obtained substrates, supplemented with Fe-based catalysts, were subjected to torrefaction at temperatures ranging from 200 to 300 °C, followed by oxidation and subsequently by extraction, separation, and purification procedures typical for the isolation of humic substances from soils. The resulting AHAs were dried and analyzed for elemental composition (C, H, N, and S) using a CHN 2400 elemental analyzer (Perkin Elmer). All analyses were performed in triplicate and the results were averaged. The oxygen content was calculated according to the equation %O = 100% − (%H + %C + %N
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