Abstract: Humic acid salts are produced, with a high output of useful products, by a liquid-phase oxidation of the mixture of an alkaline agent with a lignin-containing plant raw material having the total content of dry substances of 12–20 %, said oxidation being carried out in two stages. In a first stage, pre-oxidation is carried out at a temperature of 50–190 DEG C. and a pressure of 0.5–3 MPa associated with simultaneous treatment with an oxygen-containing gas until a pH of 10.5–12 is reached. The second stage, i.e. oxidation is carried out in the similar conditions at a temperature of 170–200 DEG C. until a pH of 8.5–10 is reached. The by-product of cellulose production by a sulphite process, i.e. concentrated solutions of lignosulphonate or lignin is used as a lignin-containing plant raw material, said lignin being a by-product of hydrolysis production being continuously oxidised by air oxygen in two stages.