ISO 11260 Soil Quality - Determination of Cation Exchange Capacity and Base Saturation Level with Barium Chloride Solution

EUROLAB, with its state-of-the-art accredited laboratories and expert team, provides precise and fast testing services within the scope of ISO 11260 testing. This standard specifies a method for the determination of the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soil at pH and for the determination of the exchangeable sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium content in the soil.

The effective cation exchange capacity (CEC) is a measure of the soil's ability to retain and exchange cations (positively charged ions). It represents the sum of exchangeable cations that can be held by the negatively charged surfaces of the soil. The base saturation level indicates the rate of CEC occupied by basic cations such as calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), potassium (K+) and sodium (Na+).

The method outlined in ISO 11260 includes the following steps:

• Sample Collection: Representative soil samples are collected from desired locations following appropriate sampling protocols to ensure sample representativeness.
• Sample Preparation: Collected soil samples are air dried, crushed and passed through a sieve to remove any coarse particles or debris.
• Barium Chloride Solution: A barium chloride solution is usually prepared at a concentration of 0,1 mol/L. The solution is standardized using a known amount of sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) as a reference.
• Determination of Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC): A part of the prepared soil sample is weighed accurately and mixed with a known volume of barium chloride solution. The mixture is allowed to equilibrate for a period of time, typically 2 hours. During this time, barium ions (Ba2+) replace exchangeable cations in the soil.
• Filtration and Washing: The mixture is then filtered and the filtrate is collected. Residual dirt on the filter is washed with a sodium chloride (NaCl) solution to remove any remaining barium ions.
• Analysis: The concentration of barium ions in the filtrate is determined using appropriate analytical techniques such as atomic absorption spectroscopy or complexometric titration. The amount of barium displaced from the soil sample corresponds to the CEC.
• Calculation: CEC is calculated based on the amount of barium displaced and expressed in milliequivalents per 100 grams of soil (meq/100g). The base saturation level is determined by comparing the amount of each basic cation (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+) in the soil with the CEC.

ISO 11260 provides specific requirements, procedures and calculations to enable a standardized and accurate determination of the effective CEC and base saturation level using the barium chloride solution method.

EUROLAB assists manufacturers with ISO 11260 test compliance. Our test experts, with their professional working mission and principles, provide you, our manufacturers and suppliers, the best service and controlled testing process in our laboratories. Thanks to these services, businesses receive more effective, high-performance and quality testing services and provide safe, fast and uninterrupted service to their customers.