The sleeping giant: A polymer View on humic matter in synthesis and applications

Humic Acid is a natural polymer with high functionality which is omnipresent in Nature, but was up to now hardly considered as an object of polymer synthesis. We review the known structural properties of natural humic acids which are remarkably uniform, independent of source and origin and environment. We then present its simple retrosynthesis in the lab based on a hydrothermal polycondensation process. The for a polymer very unusual properties of Humic Acid, such as pH and redox buffering, strong ion binding, but also its ability to bind and carry both hydrophobic and very hydrophilic molecules make artificial humic acid also an exciting choice as a functional polymer for technical purposes.