Hanna HI901 measures organinc carbon in soil

Soil organic carbon is one of the most important soil components. This is because it provides both energy as well as nutrient availability to plants and the soil micro-organisms. Soil organic carbon is the carbon stored in soil organic matter. Soil organic matter is that part of soil matter which exclusively contains non-decomposable plant and animal residues. Soil organic carbon is formed due to decomposition of plant and animal residues, soil micro-organisms, soil biota, mineralization and demineralization, root exudates, decomposable litter etc. Most of the analytical method cannot distinguish between soil organic carbon and soil organic matter. The ease and speed with which SOC becomes available is related to the SOM fraction in which it resides. In this respect, SOC can be partitioned into fractions based on the size and breakdown rates of the SOM in which it is contained. The first three fractions obtained are part of the active pool of SOM. Carbon sources in the active pool are relatively easy to break down.

Soil organic matter contains approximately 58% C; therefore, a factor of 1.72 can be used to convert organic carbon to Soil organic matter. There is more inorganic carbon than total organic carbon in calcareous soils. Total organic carbon is expressed as percent C per 100 g of soil.

One of the agricultural institutes contacted HANNA for a meter that would help them analyze organic carbon. They were studying the plant’s biological capacity to control diseases and as per studies the amount of soil organic matter and therefore total carbon leads to greater biological diversity in soil, increasing biological control, the study was mainly focused on analyzing organic carbon in soil exclusively for various numbers of samples per day. HANNA suggested the HI901 titrator along with HI1131B general purpose pH electrode.The Walkley Black (WB) method was used for determining Soil Organic Matter which was later converted to organic carbon.HI901 can function in three modes potentiometric titrator, pH meter and ORP meter.A real-time titration curve is also shown on the display; this feature is useful when new methods are tested or when a procedure needs to be optimized. The customizable calculations and Blank value feature would eliminate any additional calculations along with providing accurate and fast results for various titrations. The Clip-Lock system would help to switch titrants quickly and seamlessly without any worry of contamination. The USB, PC and Flash drive ports would make it very easy for transfer and revaluating the data. HI901 can be used for multiple applications including water and waste water analysis.

For more information visit the Hanna Instruments website at www.hannainst.in