Project is aimed at research of potential non-traditional utilization of lignite as a valuable chemical raw material, not just as a fuel, with minimum additional costs. Project will make use of natural surface activity of lignite and its high content of humic acids. Following topics will be investigated: sorption properties of natural lignite, its surface reactivity in radical and photochemical processes, lignite use as a functional filler in (bio)polymers and (bio)polymers use as support-immobilizers for lignite, lignite as photocatalyst efficacy enhancer. Further, economically effective isolation procedure for humic acids will be studied and apllication possibilities of the latter as well as of the post-extraction residue. Potential applications are directed to sorbent technologies, ecology, agriculture, soil remediation and conditioning, polymer degradation.