Revealing mechanism of phenol-amine reaction to form humus in compost based on high-resolution liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and spectroscopy

[Display omitted] •Phenolic substances self-polymerize and polymerize faster than phenolic amines.•The phenol-amine reaction preferentially produces fulvic acid.•Humus units are an intermediate product of humus derived from phenol-amine reaction.•Humus units polymerize small molecule substances to f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bioresource technology 2024-07, Vol.403, p.130862-130862, Article 130862
Main Authors: Zhou, Jin, Gao, Wenfang, Xie, Lina, Zhang, Ruju, Zhang, Yunxian, Wei, Zimin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Catechol
Glycine
Humic acid
Humification
Pyrogallol
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Summary:[Display omitted] •Phenolic substances self-polymerize and polymerize faster than phenolic amines.•The phenol-amine reaction preferentially produces fulvic acid.•Humus units are an intermediate product of humus derived from phenol-amine reaction.•Humus units polymerize small molecule substances to form humic acid. Humus is the stable form of carbon storage in straw compost. The phenol-amine reaction is a pathway for humus formation in straw compost. In this study, two reaction systems, GP group (pyrogallol and glycine) and GCP group (catechol, pyrogallol, and glycine), were constructed in a simulated composting environment and revealed the molecular binding mechanism of the phenol-amine reaction through spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The results showed that phenolic self-polymerization was faster than phenol-amine reaction. Therefore, the aromatization degree of GP was 27.14 % higher than that of GCP. The phenol-amine reaction first produced fulvic acid, and then formed humus units rich in active functional group structures (i.e., phenolic hydroxyl and carboxyl groups). These units further captured small molecule compounds to form humic acid eventually. This study would provide theoretical support for exploring the humus formation process and the promotion of straw humification by adding phenol or amino acids to compost.
ISSN:0960-8524
1873-2976
DOI:10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130862