© July 2019 | IJIRT | Volume 6 Issue 2 | ISSN: 2349-6002 IJIRT 148468 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE RESEARCH IN TECHNOLOGY 140 An Innovative Approach to the Extraction of Humic Acid from Cow Dung- A Case Study Somalika Pradhan 1 , Jitendra Pramanik 2 1 Lecturer, Centurion University of Technology & Management, Bhubaneswar, India 2 Assistant professor, Centurion University of Technology & Management, Bhubaneswar, India Abstract- Intense utilization of humic substances in agriculture has generated a lot of interest among producers, consumers & regulators for an accurate, reliable & cost effective method to quantify humic acid in raw ores & products. Humic acids are dark coloured fully decomposed remains of plant and animal organic matter. They play a leading role in several chemical, geochemical and geological processes. Humic substances also promote plant growth and improve the organic matter status of soil and soil fertility. Here we present a thoroughly validated method for the extraction of humic acid from dry cow dung powder. The proposed methodology is found to be simple, cost effective, and eco-friendly. The process investigated herein provides a promising solution to many global environmental problems. Index terms- Humic acid, Extraction Procedure, Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy I. INTRODUCTION Humic substances (HS) the most ubiquitous natural organic materials present in soils, sediments and water as a product of the chemical and biological transformation of animal and plant residues [1]. Humic substances are yellow to black in colour with a wide range of molecular weights. Humic substances serve as substrate for microorganism growth on the other hand they have very strong chelate ability with many heavy metals and organic pollutants, which make these toxins more difficult to be removed. As a result of which HS strongly influence the environmental fate of hydrophobic organic chemicals in soils and sediments. Humic substances have a profound influence on the biogeochemical cycles of both natural and anthropogenic constituents [2]. Based on the solubility of humic substances in aqueous solution, these are operationally divided into three different fractions: (i) Humic acid (HA), the fraction soluble at alkaline pH values; (ii) Fulvic acid (FA), the fraction soluble at all pH values; and (iii) Humin, the fraction insoluble at all pH values with the average properties and structure of a large assembly of components of diverse structure and molecular weight [3]. Humic acid is the fraction of humic substance which is insoluble in water under acidic condition (pH < 2) and is a poly-disperse macromolecule comprising of amino acids, amino sugars, peptides and aliphatic compounds etc. Humic acid is being employed in varied facets veterinary medicine, in agriculture, industries, environment, and even in medicine. HA is known to play a vital role as a chemotherapeutic agent and exhibits anti-viral, anti-microbial, anti- inflammatory, and anticoagulant properties. A derivative of HA has potent HIV-1 3 and Herpes inhibiting properties. HA impounds on anthropogenic organic compounds, photosensitizes chemical reactions. HA also complexes with heavy metals as well as with carcinogens. Fig-1 (Model structure of humic acid according to Stevenson-4) Humic acid originates mostly in the abiotic niche of the lithosphere and hydrosphere due to the humification of biodegradable entities. Parameters to which humification is highly sensitive are pH, temperature, and climatic conditions. In case of any difference in geographical origin, some degrees of