A type of biological humic acid, featuring high purity and high activity, extracted from agricultural and forestry waste has been industrialized and used for soil restoration in China.

A large amount of agricultural and forestry waste is burned in the open air due to the lack of large-scale high-value utilization, resulting in environmental pollution and resource wastage. Humic acid is an internationally recognized green and effective environmental material for soil restoration.

The industrialization of the rapid pyrolysis of humic acid has stably served the bulk and high-value utilization of agricultural and forestry wastes since 2012, said Tian Yuanyu, professor at the College of Chemical Engineering of China University of Petroleum, according to Science and Technology Daily.

Humic acid is known as the source of life for the sustainable development of soil ecological environment, which can promote the growth of microorganisms in soil and improve crop yield.

The research team led by Tian has developed a remediation agent of heavy metal contaminated soil, saline-alkali soil conditioner and degradable humic acid mulching films.

The humic acid products have reportedly restored about 666,667 hectares of soil across the country over the past three years.

(Cover image via VCG.)

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