Technolojical research on evaluation of Afşin Elbistan leonardites

In recent years, many researchers are followed towards utilization of leonardites found in sectoral usage areas as soil conditioner, drilling mud, animal food additive and adsorbent material. In our study, it is studied whether fulvic acid humic acid produced by chemical and physical enrichment and leach techniques from leonardites in Kahramanmaraş province can be used as an organic soil conditioner. KOH is used as a solvent reagent to provide potassium ion which organic soil needs in chemical enrichment studies. Potassium hydroxide amount, mixing time, temperature, solid concentration, mixing speed and grain size are studied as variable parameters in chemical enrichment studies. Existence of inorganic materials preventing humic and fulvic materials to be dissolved in chemical enrichment studies, increasing reactive consumption and causing capacity growth are determined by mineralogical and chemical analyses. For the removal of these materials, effect of pre-studies on leach is researched doing physical pre-enrichment efforts in columns in which water and air are used creating fluidized column and in three compartments hydraulic classifier. As a result of the studies, while humic and Fulvic acid are obtained with 47,03 % content and 85,5 % efficiency at the end of chemical enrichment from leonardite, at the end of leach process after pre-enrichment, via the aqueous enrichment with vertical fluidized column, humic and fulvic acid are obtained with 62,74% content and 92.4% efficiency, from leonardite containing humic and fulvic acid material, via the air enrichment, with vertical fluidized column, humic and fulvic acid are obtained with 51,61% content and 87,25% efficiency, and via the enrichment with three compartments hydraulic classifier, humic and fulvic acid are obtained with 59,15% content and 91% efficiency humic and fulvic acid material. Keywords: Humic substances, Physical enrichment, Chemical enrichment, Leonardite.