Orientador: André Henrique Rosa / Coorientador: Hubert Mathias Peter Roeser / Banca: Kurt Friese / Banca: Paulo Sérgio Tonello / Banca: Viviane Moschini Carlos / Banca: Ricardo Perobelli Borba / Resumo: O As está distribuído em diversas formas químicas em sistemas aquáticos, o que determina o seu comportamento e destino no ambiente. Nesse contexto, as substâncias húmicas (SH) têm um importante papel por serem capazes de complexar esse metaloide e alterar sua mobilidade e biodisponibilidade. O Fe também tem grande importância por poder formar complexos ternários SH-Fe-As. Apesar da química do As já ter sido bem estudada, o seu comportamento em ambientes ricos em SH e Fe ainda não é totalmente compreendido. Os objetivos desse trabalho foram investigar a distribuição do As, Al e Fe em águas superficiais de uma região mineira no sudeste do Brasil (Quadrilátero Ferrífero, QF) e entender como características de SH extraídas de diferentes regiões (Brasil e Alemanha) afetam a complexação do As(V) na presença de Fe(III). Amostras de águas foram coletadas em 12 pontos do QF, filtradas (0,45 µm) e ultrafiltradas (1 kDa) para separar as frações particulada (>0,45 µm), coloidal (<0,45 µm e >1 kDa) e livre (<1 kDa) de As, Al e Fe. A técnica de difusão em filmes finos por gradientes de concentração (DGT) foi usada em 5 dos 12 pontos para estudar a fração lábil dos elementos estudados. Carbono orgânico total (COT) e dissolvido (COD) também foram medidos. SH foram extraídas de quatro pontos (um no Brasil nas estações seca e chuvosa e três na Alemanha) para testar a influência de diferentes tipos de SH e Fe(III) na complexação do As(V). As SH foram caracterizadas e foram feitos testes de comp... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: As is distributed in different chemical forms in aquatic systems. These different forms control its behaviour and fate in the environment. The humic substances (HS) have an important role in the As cycle since they can complex this metalloid and change its mobility and bioavailability. Fe is also important because it can form ternary complexes HS-Fe-As. Although the As chemistry is well studied, the behaviour of As in HS and Fe-rich environments is not totally known. This thesis aimed to investigate the distribution of As, Al and Fe in surface waters from a mining region in the southeast of Brazil (Quadrilátero Ferrífero, QF) and understand how characteristics of HS extracted from different regions (Brazil and Germany) affect the complexation of As(V) in the presence of Fe(III). Water samples were taken in 12 points in QF, filtered (0.45 µm) and ultrafiltered (1 kDa) to separate the fractions particulate (>0.45 µm), colloidal (<0.45 µm and >1 kDa) and free (<1 kDa) of As, Al and Fe. The technique of diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) was used in 5 of the 12 points to study the labile fraction of the elements studied. Total organic carbon (TOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were also measured. HS were extracted from four points (one in Brazil in dry and rainy seasons and three in Germany) to analyse the influence of HS from different origins and Fe(III) on the complexation of As(V). The HS were characterised and complexation experiments were performed using an ultrafiltration system with 1 kDa membrane. All data were analysed using the Kohonen neural network. The results showed that most of total Al and Fe in QF was in the particulate fraction and As was in the free fraction. Most of the dissolved Al and Fe was in the colloidal and inert fraction, while As was more labile and potentially more bioavailable ... (Complete abstract click electronic acess below) / Doutor

Humic substances (HS) are the humified portions of totally decomposed soil organic matter that are ubiquitous in nature. Although these substances have been studied for more than 200 years, neither their metabolic capabilities nor a specific chemical structure has yet to be determined. HS have been studied as a carbon source in many environments where they are degraded; however, previous studies have shown that some microorganisms are capable of utilizing humic substances as electron acceptors and electron donors in anaerobic respiration. Even though there have been humic-reducing and humic-oxidizing microorganisms isolated and studied in recent years, the mechanism of humics metabolism and its interaction in the natural environment are not well understood. However, it is known that the continuous change in the redox state of HS is important to the cycling of iron, stability of nitrogen and carbon, and the mobility and bioavailability of inorganic and organic environmental pollutants. In this study, microbial communities were examined to evaluate the community dynamics of nitrate-dependent HS-oxidizing populations and to provide a snapshot of the phylogenetic diversity of these microorganisms. Column studies were performed using nitrate as the sole electron acceptor and the following as the electron donors in different columns: reduced humic acids, oxidized humic acids, and acetate as the control. Liquid buffered media was added to a separate column to serve as an additional control. Polymerase chain reactions of the 16S rRNA genes using DNA from the column studies were performed and analyzed by constructing 16S rDNA clone libraries and by performing denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Clones from the library have been sequenced and analyzed to paint a phylogenetic picture of the microbial community under the various conditions. Results indicate that the majority of the clones were assigned to four well-characterized divisions, the Acidobacteria, the Bacteroidetes, the Firmicutes, and the Proteobacteria. Additional findings suggest that members related to Bacteroidetes are involved in some sort of HS cycling in the environment or may be excellent electron scavengers enabling them to outcompete other microorganisms and that members of Proteobacteria may be the dominant HS-oxidizing microorganisms in natural environments. An additional aspect of this project hypothesizes that specific genes are differentially expressed when HS-oxidizing bacteria are growing on reduced HS as compared to acetate or in the presence of oxidized HS. To test this hypothesis, the global gene expression profile of Acidovorax ebreus strain TPSY was assessed using microarray analysis. This method led to the identification of several genes potentially involved in nitrate-dependent HS oxidization and a proposed model for this respiratory process in strain TPSY. The final section in this project was designed to assess in-service teachers' perceived levels of familiarity with and interest in learning more about selected microbiology concepts and their actual understanding of the selected microbiology concepts. Sixty-two in-service elementary, middle, and high school teachers from several school districts across southern Illinois completed a three-part instrument that included additional open-ended questions to gain more information about the teachers' conceptual understanding. The results of this study suggest that teachers who hold a teaching certification specific for teaching life science have taken more life science courses and scored significantly higher on the familiarity and conceptual knowledge sections of this study. The current research explores what is currently known about humic substances, specifically humics as an electron donor, analyzes the community structure in a humics oxidizing environment, identifies genes that are induced under nitrate-reducing, HS-oxidizing conditions, and evaluates the importance of microbiology to biological scientific literacy in today's society.

Humic substances (HS) are described as a complex mixture of organic molecules formed by incomplete decomposition of plant, animal and microbial matter. They are found in soil, water and air and have many environmental roles, e.g. water retention and metal ion binding in soil. Despite their importance, the molecular composition of HS is poorly understood. This is mostly because of an inability to separate individual molecules from these complex mixtures and then characterise them by standard analytical methods such as NMR and MS. In order improve the understanding of these important mixtures I have studied them using a high-resolution analytical method, Fourier transform ion-cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR MS). Initial efforts focussed on testing the, fast, automated data analysis of the large data sets produced. Two pieces of software were compared and the reliability of the formulae assigned by these was critically evaluated. This confident formula assignment was then applied to study the consequences of different ionisation and instrumental parameters on the mass spectra obtained. The use of laser desorption/ionisation (LDI) without the need to employ a matrix required in matrix assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI) was explored. A comparison of LDI and electrospray ionisation (ESI) FTICR MS of natural organic matter samples showed that these methods ionise complementary sets of compounds. The LDI ionised compounds were characterised as aromatics or condensed aromatics and compounds belonging to lower oxygen classes (maximum number at O8), while ESI ionised higher oxygen classes (maximum number at O16) with a vast majority of compounds classified as aliphatic based on their modified aromaticity index. MALDI and LDI spectra produced very similar data with over 90% matching formulas implying that fragmentation is not caused by LDI, as taught previously. My work showed that to maximize the coverage by FTICR MS of the molecular space occupied by these complex mixtures, multiple ionization methods must be used. As a particularly convenient and readily deployable ionization technique, LDI should be included in standard analytical protocols for FTICR MS analysis of NOM. I have explored different parameters and experimental settings to obtain a fuller coverage of the molecular space of NOM, this showed that different experimental conditions enhance peak intensities in different m/z regions of the FTICR MS spectra and that information can be obtained outside of the narrow 200-700 m/z window. To gain chemical and structural information about humic substances beyond what is currently known, experiments aimed to label HS using different isotopes and at specific sites were developed and tested. Two methylation reactions were of particular interest. A methylation that selectively targeted carboxylic acid groups and incorporated deuterium in the form of CD3 groups. An international standard, Suwannee River fulvic acid, was methylated and analysed by high-resolution mass spectrometry in order to gain information on the number and distribution carboxylic acid groups. This proved challenging due to the reactivity of the unknown molecules being difficult to determine in advance. Additionally, the peak separation being reduced to as low as 1.5 mDa pushed the instrument resolution and assignment confidence to their limits. The second methylation method explored used 13CH3I, a nonselective agent reacting with any labile proton, particularly attaching 13CH3 groups to carboxylic, phenolic and alcoholic OH groups. I prepared a methylated sample of fulvic acid from a Red Moss raised bog (Balerno, near Edinburgh) ready for analyses by high field NMR. This investigation yielded structures of a number of phenolic compounds for the first time by NMR.

Submitted by ADNIVIA SANTOS COSTA MONTEIRO null (adniviacosta@hotmail.com) on 2017-05-02T16:46:03Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Adnívia S. C. Monteiro.pdf: 2683414 bytes, checksum: 3838428f87bcd749eeed2b8e389be1f3 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luiz Galeffi (luizgaleffi@gmail.com) on 2017-05-03T20:31:20Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 monteiro_asc_dr_araiq.pdf: 2683414 bytes, checksum: 3838428f87bcd749eeed2b8e389be1f3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-03T20:31:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 monteiro_asc_dr_araiq.pdf: 2683414 bytes, checksum: 3838428f87bcd749eeed2b8e389be1f3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-04-07 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Os estudos de especiação em águas naturais são a chave para a compreensão do comportamento e destino dos íons metálicos no ambiente, uma vez que estes elementos podem ser encontrados em diversas formas químicas (livres ou complexados). A mobilidade, biodisponibilidade e transporte desses íons podem ser influenciados pela presença da matéria orgânica natural (MON) e as substâncias húmicas aquáticas (SHA), principais ligantes presente no ambiente aquático. Nesse contexto, o objetivo desse trabalho foi desenvolver métodos eletroanalíticos utilizando a cronopotenciometria de redissolução anódica (SCP) e a técnica de redissolução nernstiana na ausência de gradientes (AGNES) capazes de determinar a concentração de cádmio total (CdT) e livre (CdL), respectivamente, diretamente em amostras de águas dos rios Itapanhaú (RI) e Sorocabinha (RS) localizados no estado de São Paulo, que possibilitem uma futura aplicação on-site. E avaliar a influência da MON e SHA extraídas desses rios nas interações com o Cd(II) e/ou Pb(II). Para investigar o efeito da sazonalidade foram coletadas amostras de água no março e novembro de 2014, as quais foram caracterizadas através de parâmetros de qualidade da água, carbono orgânico dissolvido (COD), espectroscopia UV/Vis e concentrações de metal total, dissolvido e “livre” (ultrafiltrado em 1kDa com fluxo tangencial - UFT). As SHA e suas frações (ácido húmico (AH) e fúlvico (AF) foram caracterizadas por meio da análise elementar, RMN 13C e fracionadas através da UFT com membranas de 100, 30,10, 3 e 1 kDa. Os métodos desenvolvidos de SCP (determinação do CdT) e de AGNES (determinação do CdL) aplicados nas amostras de águas in natura e ultrafiltradas em 1kDa, foram validados por comparação com a espectroscopia de absorção atômica com atomização em forno de grafite (GF-AAS). Os resultados encontrados revelaram que as principais diferenças entre as águas dos RI e RS estão associadas possivelmente à maior influência da água do mar e da sazonalidade no RS. A composição estrutural das SHA e AF apresentou maior predominância de compostos alifáticos. A distribuição do COD após o fracionamento molecular mostrou que as frações predominantes nas SHA e AF estiveram entre 10 e 1 kDa, enquanto que para os AH, 50% do COD é maior que 100kDa. Os resultados de SCP (LD de 1,6x10-9 mol L-1) e AGNES (LD de 1,9x10-9 mol L-1) revelaram o seu potencial na quantificação do Cd(II) total e livre, respectivamente, nas amostras estudadas. Os estudos da interação de Cd(II) e Pb(II) com os AF e AH revelaram que ambos os materiais dos RI e RS apresentaram maior complexação com Pb(II), e a complexação aumenta com o aumento do pH. / The study of speciation in natural waters are crucial to understand the behaviour and fate of metal ions in the environment, since these elements can be found in different chemical forms (complexed or free). The mobility, bioavailability and transport of these ions can be influenced by natural organic matter (NOM) and aquatic humic substances (AHS), which are the main ligands in aquatic environments. The objective of this thesis was to develop electroanalytical methods using the techniques stripping chronopotenciometry (SCP) and absence of gradients and nernstian stripping (AGNES), which are able to determine the concentration of total (TCd) and free (FCd) cadmium directly in water samples from the rivers Itapanhaú (RI) and Sorocabinha (RS), located in the state of São Paulo. It would make possible a future on-site measurement applications. This study also aimed to evaluate the influence of NOM and AHS extracted from these rivers in the interactions with Cd(II) and Pb(II). Water samples were taken in march and november/2014 in order to investigate the effect of seasonality. These samples were characterised using water quality parameters, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), UV/VIS spectroscopy and concentrations of total, dissolved and free metal (ultrafiltered through 1 kDa membrane with tangential flow- TUF). AHS and their fractions (humic, HA, and fluvic acid, FA) were characterised by elemental analysis, NMR 13C. They were fractionated through TUF through membranes 100, 30, 10, 3 and 1 kDa. The methods developed of SCP (TCd determination) and AGNES (CdL determination) applied in the in natura and ultrafiltered (1 kDa) samples were validated using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). The results showed that the main differences between the waters from RI and RS are related probably to the influence of seawater and seasonality. The structural composition of AHS and FA presented higher content of aliphatic compounds. The distribution of DOC after size fractionation showed that the predominant fractions in the AHS and FA were between 10 and 1 kDa. On the other hand, 50% of the material was higher than 100 kDa in the HA. The results of SCP (LoD: 1.6x10-9 mol L-1) and AGNES (LoD: 1.9x10-9 mol L-1) revealed their potential in quantification of total and free Cd(II), respectively, in the samples analysed. The study of interactions of Cd(II) and Pb(II) with FA and HA showed that both materials from RI and RS presented higher complexation with Pb(II). The complexation increases with the pH for both materials. / FAPESP: 13/14122-0

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:29:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-04-20Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:38:01Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 pantano_g_me_sjrp.pdf: 2292416 bytes, checksum: 9d6b67d9f91bd16297d9375759c79205 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Este trabalho teve como objetivo estudar a interações das Substâncias Húmicas (SH) com os metais cobre(II), cromo(III) e cromo(VI) por meio de dois métodos, o da supressão da fluorescência molecular e o sistema de ultrafiltração com fluxo tangencial (SUFT). As SH foram caracterizadas por técnicas espectroscópicas na região do infravermelho e do ultravioleta-visível e por fluorescência molecular. Foram realizadas duas coletas de sedimentos, uma no período de chuva e outra no de seca, sendo coletados em três rios da Bacia Hidrográfica do Turvo/Grande, Rio Preto, Rio Turvo e Rio Grande. O sedimento foi coletado com o auxilio de uma draga manual do tipo Van Veen. As SH foram extraídas de acordo com metodologia oficial sugerida pela Sociedade Internacional de Substâncias Húmicas (SISH). A constante de estabilidade condicional (Kc) foi determinada por meio da supressão da fluorescência e variou de 5,6x10-3 – 1,23 em período chuvoso para o íons cobre, e de 5,5x10-3 – 8,7x10-2 para o período de seca. Quando a Kc foi determinada para o complexo SH-Cr(III) valores de 1,9x10-1-5,2x10-1 e 2,1x10-1-3,5x10-1, foram determinados para o período de chuva e de seca, respectivamente. Por fim a Kc foi determinada para a interação das SH com Cr(VI), de forma geral os valores de Kc foram maiores para o período de chuva. A capacidade complexante (CC) determinada por meio do SUFT para a interação das SH com cobre(II) teve valores que variaram de 4,0x10-1 – 6,3x10-1 mmol Cu g-1 SH e de 1,4x10-1 – 5,3x10-1 mmol Cu g-1 SH para período de chuva e seca, respectivamente. Para o Cr(III) a CC variou de 2,1x10-1 – 9,7x10-1 e de 2,6x10-1 – 8,4x10-1 mmol Cr g-1 SH para o período de chuva e seca, respectivamente. Quando a interação das SH com o Cr(VI) foi estudada por meio do SUFT só foi possível calcular a CC para os pontos... / This work aimed to study the interactions of humic substances (HS) with copper(II), chromium(III) and chromium(VI), using by two methods, the suppression of the molecular fluorescence and tangential flow ultrafiltration sytem (TFUS). The HS were characterized by spectroscopic thecniques in the infrared and ultraviolet/visible region and molecular fluorescence. There were two sediment samples, one during the wet season and another the dry, being these sediments collected from the three Rivers of the Turvo/Grande drainage basin, Preto river, Turvo river and Grande river. The collection of sediment was carried out with the aid of a manual Van Veen type dredge. The HS were extracted according to the official methodology suggested by the International Humic Substances Society (IHSS). The conditional stability constant (Kc) was determined by suppressing fluorescence and ranged from 5,6x10-3 – 1,23 in the wet season for the copper ions, and of the 5,5x10-3 – 8,7x10-2 to the dry season. When Kc was determined for the complex HS-Cr(III) values of 1,9x10-1-5,2x10-1 e 2,1x10-1-3,5x10-1, were determined for the wet and dry seasons, respectively. Finally, the Kc was determined for the interactions oh HS with the Cr(VI) in geral the Kc values were higher for the wet season. Complexant capacity (CC) was determined by means of TFUS for the interactions of the HS with Copper(II) the values ranged from 4,0x10-1 – 6,3x10-1 mmol Cu g-1 HS and of 1,4x10-1 – 5,3x10-1 mmol Cu g-1 HS for a wet and dry season, respectively. For the Cr(III) CC ranged from 2,1x10-1 – 9,7x10-1 and from 2,6x10-1 – 8,4x10-1 mmol Cr g-1 HS for the wet and dry period, respectively. When the interactions oh HS with Cr(VI) was studied by means of TFUS was only possible to calculate the CC for the points NRP and CAPRP, as for others... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Types of intrinsic fluorophores were characterized in several soil humic and fulvic acid samples and the photochemical stability of the fluoropheres under UV (300 {--} 400 nm) irradiation was tested.

The objective was to establish the safety and therapeutic efficacy of oral potassium humate in reducing the signs and symptoms of hayfever. Potassium humate was randomly assigned to 40 atopic patients with acute symptoms of hayfever. Blood and nasal samples were used to determine the safety and the effects of potassium humate on basophil activation, cytokine levels and eosinophil migration. A skin prick test was used to determine its anti-allergic effects. An in vitro neutrophil adhesion was also used. A significant decrease in the skin prick test results and eosinophil counts was observed. No significant differences were observed with regard to neutrophil adhesion nor were any differences observed with regard to the stimulation of basophils. Decreases were observed in the expression of IL-4, IL-5, IL-8 and IL-1â after treatment, although not reaching significance. This study confirmed that this product possesses anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties possibly due to a decreased recruitment of eosinopils to the inflammatory site the recruitment and activation of eosinophils by decreasing the expression of IL-4, IL-5, IL-8 and IL-1â, although not reaching statistical significance. / Dissertation (MSc (Pharmacology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Pharmacology / unrestricted

Mycotoxins have become an important issue for the grain industry and animal producers with a growing interest in the decontamination and remediation of highly contaminated feedstuffs. Practical methods to detoxify mycotoxin-contaminated grain on a large scale and in a cost-effective manner are essential but not currently available. The most recent and promising approach to detoxify mycotoxin-contaminated grain is the use of non-nutritive adsorbents, which bind the aflatoxin and thereby reduce their absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. Humic acids are products of chemical and biological transformations of animal and plant residues and are widely distributed in nature. Humic acids have some therapeutic characteristics and a strong binding affinity for several compounds. A South African company developed an effective large-scale regeneration process for humic acids from coal, called oxihumate. This study evaluated the effectiveness of oxihumate to adsorb mycotoxins, for the purpose of developing it as a commercial mycotoxin binder to be used in the preventative management of contaminated poultry feedstuffs. The in vitro affinity and adsorption capacity of oxihumate to aflatoxin was evaluated and the efficacy of oxihumate as an aflatoxin binder in broiler feeds in vivo was determined. The data showed adsorptions of about 10.3, 7.4 and 11.9 mg aflatoxin B1/g oxihumate at pH 3, 5 and 7, respectively. Oxihumate adsorbed 1.2, 2.6 and 8.5 mg aflatoxin G2/g at pH 3, 5 and 7, respectively. Oxihumate supplementation at a concentration of 3.5 g/kg feed was effective in diminishing the growth inhibitory effects of aflatoxin and apparent protection was noted for some of the organ, haematological and serum biochemical changes associated with aflatoxicosis. These results suggest that oxihumate could alleviate some of the toxic effects of aflatoxin in growing broilers, and when used with other sound mycotoxin management practices, might prove beneficial in the preventative management of aflatoxin-contaminated feedstuffs for poultry. The improvement observed during this specific study was, however, not satisfactory enough to recommend oxihumate as a commercially available product. / Thesis (PhD (Animal and Wildlife Sciences))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Animal and Wildlife Sciences / unrestricted

A series of experiments were performed to study the sorption of humic acid and Eu3+ ion (at trace concentrations) on the minerals: montmorillonite, bentonite, diatomite and kaolinite in ternary systems. Humic acid and europium sorption were investigated as a function of humic acid concentration, ionic strength and pH. There was a strong uptake of humic acid on to the minerals with sorption increasing as humic acid concentration decreases. For montmorillonite, the uptake of discrete size fractions was also studied. It was found that the larger fractions were more strongly sorbing and were better able to retain Eu in solution.The ionic strength has an impact on Eu behaviour: in the absence of humic acid, sorption strength decreases, whilst in the presence of high concentrations of humic it increases. The sorption of Eu3+ increases from pH 2 to 5 in both the presence and absence of humic acid. Above pH 5, the Eu3+ showed different behaviour with and without humic acid, and as humic concentration became high (100 ppm), the Eu behaves in the same way as the humic. Bentonite is able to sorb humic acid and Eu3+ at any concentration expected in the environment, and shows the strongest sorption of any of the materials tested. Experiments confirmed that Eu is an excellent analogue for Am in these systems.The sorption of selected divalent and trivalent metal ions: Ni2+, Co2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, Eu3+ and Cr3+ on montmorillonite has been investigated in the micro-molar concentration range. In all cases, sorption strength increased with pH, and was consistently stronger for the tri-valent ions. In the presence of humic acid, there was some evidence for the enhancement of sorption. Uptake of metal ions (Co2+, Ni2+, Cd2+, Cr3+, Eu3+ and La3+) by natural and modified kaolinite was studied, and for all except Cr3+, it was found that kaolinite modified by manganese hydrothermal treatment gave the strongest sorption.A simple kinetic model was developed to simulate the experimental data for the sorption of humic acid and Eu3+ on the minerals. The model allows two humic binding sites on the mineral surface and two types of humic in solution, which can have different Eu3+ binding strengths. Metal ion surface complexation is modelled with a single kinetic equation. Ternary complexes are included in the model. The interaction of humic acid on the minerals can be fitted reasonably well. However, for the Eu3+ ion behaviour, although the model was able to give a reasonable fit to data for montmorillonite and bentonite, it could not reproduce the behaviour for kaolinite and diatomite.

The new forms of superabsorbent polymers (SAP) on the base of acrylic acid were developed and studied in this thesis. The SAP are focused on agricultural and environmental applications. While they are applied to the soil, SAP can prevent water losing and they become a reservoir of humidity in case of dry season, moreover in combination with fertiliser they play role of controlled release medium. Eight various samples of SAP were experimentally prepared by networking of partially neutralized acrylic acid. Potassium peroxydisulfate was used as the initiator and N,N–methylenebisacrylamide as the crossing agent. Some of samples contained addition of second monomer of acrylamide. All of them were enriched by fertilisers – natural lignohumate or synthetic NPK or combination of both. The swelling characteristics of prepared samples were investigated in conditions of various ionic strength. The influence of xerogels’ particles size on swelling properties was also observed. The viscoelastic characteristics of hydrogel form of all SAP were determined by using of rotation rheometer. The changing of viscoelastic properties were studied in dependence on time, on freezing and on repeating swelling cycles. On top of that the controlled releasing ability of SAP was tested due to three modelling experiments. The biological activity of all polymer products was tested at the end of the thesis. All samples of SAP were incorporated into the artificial soil and the ability of the water retention in the soil was observed. The growing experiments were running by using of corn plants. The size and the mass of each plant were measured and branching of the root was objectively evaluated by programme Harmonic and Fractal Image Analyzer.