Activation and enrichment methodology

Starting point

Humic acids are natural macromolecules formed by the decomposition of organic matter and the synthetic activity of micro-organisms. Their value to soil comes from their functional groups — carboxyl and hydroxyl — which bind cations into complex and chelate bonds. This is why they act as a natural ion exchanger: they hold nutrients in an available form, while binding toxic metals into forms the plant cannot take up.

The difficulty is that in fossil rock these molecules are largely bound and insoluble in water. Ground leonardite is therefore not the same thing as activated leonardite, even where the total content analysis comes out similar.

The five steps

1. Raw material characterisation

   Before the first kilogram, origin and composition are established: the deposit and how it is mined, total and free humic acid content, fulvic acid content, moisture, particle size distribution and contaminant levels.

   Output: an incoming raw material certificate. Material that fails is not processed — contaminant levels are set by the geology of the deposit and cannot be reduced by processing.

2. Activation

   The aim is to raise the share of humic acids in an accessible form without interfering with the molecule itself. Three variables are involved:

   • particle size — reducing it increases specific surface area and therefore the rate at which the material reacts with the soil solution;
   • degree of oxidation — this determines how many functional groups are available to bind ions;
   • reaction of the medium — this governs what share of the humic acids is accessible at all in a given soil.

   Output: the share of free humic acids — a measurable figure, not a property asserted by the word “activated”.

3. Enrichment

   The activated base is supplemented with functional components according to what the soil has to resolve: mineral carriers for reaction and structure, magnesium and calcium components, trace elements in chelated form.

   The composition follows the customer's soil analysis. A universal blend is a compromise that cannot work the same way on heavy clay and on light sandy soil.

   Output: a recipe tied to a specific soil diagnosis.

4. Content verification

   Humic and fulvic acid content is determined by the method of Lamar et al., Journal of AOAC International 97(3)/2014 — a standardised and validated method for quantifying humic substances in ores and commercial products.

   Until then, no validated method existed for determining the quantity of humic and fulvic acids in any material. That is why declarations from different manufacturers are so hard to compare — and why we stay with this one.

   Output: a laboratory-determined content, comparable across products.

5. Certificate per batch

   Leonardite is a natural rock and its composition varies even within a single deposit. The certificate is therefore not issued for the product but for every production batch: batch number, production date, total and free humic acid content, moisture and contaminant levels.

   Output: a document that travels with the consignment. The buyer may have any batch checked by a laboratory of their own choosing.

Five steps, five documents

Every step of the methodology has a measurable output. That is the difference between a process that can be checked and the word “activated” on a bag.

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