Humic substances, including fulvic acid and humic acid, are largely found in pre-historic deposits of lignite, a soft, brownish coal that has developed from peat through bacterial action over millions of years. Smaller quantities are also found naturally in soil. Thus, while humic substances are naturally-occurring, extracting them from natural sources has proved to be complex and problematic. This is particularly true for extraction of fulvic acid from natural sources. For example, most traditional methods of extraction of fulvic acid in commercial quantities generally require extraction from lignite or coal, as is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,788,360; 5,004,831; 5,248,814; 5,670,345; 5,854,032; and 6,695,892. Other known techniques involve extraction of humic substances from humic acid bearing mineral ores, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,999. These methods generally require the use of acids and bases to leech out the desired components, and often involve many complex and energy intensive processes.
SUMMARY

The inventors have observed that the known methods and systems for producing fulvic acid are complicated, expensive, inefficient, and harmful to the environment. It is thus desirable that fulvic acid and humic acid preparations be produced in a cheaper, faster, and easier process that is less harmful to the environment and from a more reliable source. The inventors have discovered that fulvic acid and humic acid compositions can be produced in this manner by extracting them from a source other than lignite and hardrock minerals.

In accordance with the novel system and method described herein fulvic acid and humic acid are extracted from an organic compost mixture by extracting the liquid component of the organic compost mixture. The liquid component may be extracted by collecting liquid percolating from the organic compost mixture, or by separating the liquid component from the solid components of the organic compost mixture. A liquid such as water that dissolves fulvic acid may be added to the organic compost mixture prior to extraction of the liquid component. The liquid component in the organic compost mixture may be separated from the solid components by means of a separator, such as a centrifuge, belt press, filter press, or membrane press. The novel method and system may include optional additional steps, including filtration and treatment of the organic compost mixture and/or effluent, and may reuse the liquid effluent or solids byproduct to optimize the quantity of fulvic acid and humic acid extracted. The novel system and method is thus able to produce fulvic acid and humic acid without the need or use of acids.

The resulting novel product produced by the novel method and system described herein contains fulvic acid in an amount of at least 4% by weight, and humic acid in an amount of up to about 3% by weight. The product more specifically comprises fulvic acid in an amount of approximately 4% to approximately 10%, and more specifically at least approximately 7% by weight, and more specifically approximately 7% to about 10% by weight. Because it is produced from an organic compost mixture, the product also contains micronutrients and macronutrients needed by plants, and contains few heavy minerals.

Because of its composition, the novel product can be used to improve the health of plants. In one aspect, the novel product can be used to eradicate pests from plants, including the bark beetle from coniferous trees.