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Kaolinite Montmorillonite
electron microscopy
http://soils1.cses.vt.edu/MJE/CSES3124/cec_demo/version1.1/cec.html
Chemical elements in soils
Noble gasses
Transition metals Metals
Halogens
Concentrations of chemical
elements in soils
Major elements Trace elements
% mg/kg
Si 30 Ba 800 Co 10
Fe 4 Zr 700 As 10
Ca 3.5 S 500 Cr 10
Al 3 Mn 500 Sn 7
K 3 Li 100 Be 5
Na 2 Zn 100 Cd 1
C 2 V 100 Se 1
Ti 0.5 Ga 50 I 1
Mg 0.5 Ge 50 Hg 0.1
N 0.2 Cu 50 Ag 0.1
P 0.1 Pb 50
Ni 50
Y 25
La 25
F 20
B 20
Organic matter in soils
Plants, animals,
microbes and their
waste products
Diameter (m)
1 nm 1 µm 1 mm
0.45 µm
Molecules
Colloids
eg. clays
FeOOH Suspended particles
SiO2
CaCO3 Bacteria
Algae
Virusses
Soil solution and ground water
water table
phreatic plane
vadose zone
groundwater
phreatic zone
saturated zone
Gas phase
● Atmosphere
– N2: 75%; O2: 21%; other: 4% including CO2: 0.03% = 10−3.5 atm
● Soil solution:
– Limited diffusion
– Biological consumption of O2 and production of CO2
– O2 up to 15%, CO2 up to 3%
Soil Sampling
Sampling
Time
Problem: what do we want to
Cost
know?
Practical limitations
Soil sampling
Sample preparation
Analysis
Sampling strategy
● Central issue: what do I want to know?
– Fertility assessment
– Pollution assessment
– Spatial distribution
– ....
● Design strategy to obtain samples that
– are representative for the field
– allow to answer the (research) question with the desired precision
Sampling strategy: W shape
Sampling strategy: W shape
Sampling techniques
Sample preparation and conservation
● Samples that arrive in the lab should still be representative !
● Sample may change because of
– Growth of algae
– Oxidation
– Precipitation
– Absorption of CO2
– Absorption on recipients
● Sample preparation and conservation = f(parameters to analyze)
Suitable materials for conservation
Avoid contamination
Sample preparation
Sample Sample preparation Instrument
g g g
1
2 4
3 7
l 5 l l
6 8
s s s
9
4. Evaporation
5. Direct introduction in instrument/liquid-liquid extraction
6. Precipitation, evaporation, freeze drying
7. Sublimation
8. Dissolve, digest (destruction)
9. Direct introduction into instrument
Analysis
● Accurate analysis using appropriate methods
● Quality control
– Replicates
– Procedurial blanks
– Certified Reference Materials (CRMs)