Measurement of Total Carbon in Soil and Compost by TOC Solid Sample Measurement System

Introduction

Soil contains a large amount of organic matter such as plant residue that can be decomposed by microorganisms. This organic matter plays a key role in plant growth by maintaining good chemical and physical conditions in soil and is useful in improving and stabilizing the productivity of agricultural crops. Compost, a type of fertilizer in which organic matter is decomposed by microorganisms, improves the condition of soil by supplying diverse substances and has the function of improving the growing condition of crops. Accordingly, determining the organic carbon content in soil provides a useful index for stable growth of agricultural crops and plants. The Shimadzu TOC-L total organic carbon analyzer and SSM5000A solid sample combustion unit comprise a system that enables measurement of the carbon content in solid samples. This article introduces an example of measurement of the total carbon content in soil and compost samples by using this Shimadzu TOC solid sample measurement system.

April 21, 2020 GMT