Laboratory testing, soil

Wisconsin State Soil Testing Laboratory. Summary Reports for Portage and Washara Counties 1976-1980 and 1981-1984. Dept, of Soil Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1981, 1985. 

Several soil-test methods to determine Mo availability and to predict yield responses on a variety of soils have met with little success. The Grigg method and the method of anion-exchange resin can predict Mo uptake to some extent, but they are less accurate at predicting yield. Extraction tests must take into account Fe as well as Mo, because it has been found that the amount of Fe and the degree of crystallinity of Fe can influence Mo availability. Currently, there is no method available that would be a practical soil-test method and could be easily applied by soil-test laboratories. Because of these problems, the recommendations for addition of Mo must be based on soil PH, soil type, and the crop to be grown. 

Ion selective electrodes have historically been used in soil testing laboratories to conduct standard chemical soil tests, especially soil pH measurement. Many researchers in the 1970s and 1980s concentrated on the suitability of ISEs as an alternative to routine soil nitrate testing. More recently, researchers whose end goal was a mobile macronuttient sensing system have reported on laboratory tests of components of such systems. 

For studies involving test substance application to soil, there may be a requirement for more soil information than for studies where applications are made to foliage of established crops. The study protocol should describe any specific requirements relative to soil type selection and how to confirm the soil characteristics for the study. Most studies simply require that the soil be identified by its name (e.g., Keystone silt loam) and composition (e.g., percent sand, silt, and clay). This information can typically be acquired from farm records, a soil survey of the local area, or a typical soil analysis by a local soil analysis laboratory. In some instances, a GLP compliant soil analysis must be completed. The study protocol must clearly define what is needed and how it is to be obtained. Unless specified in the protocol, non-GLP sources are adequate to identify the soil and its characteristics. The source of the soil information should be identified in the field trial record. 

Whitten MG, Ritchie GSP. 1991. Soil tests for aluminum toxicity in the presence of organic matter Laboratory development and assessment. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 22 343-368. 

Soil testing is done in two ways firstly, assessment of the soil on site, and secondly, analysis of soil samples in the laboratory. 

Woods, W. L, Soil Testing Report for the Proposed Interpretative Center at the Cahokia Mounds Historic Site, East St. Louis, Illinois, report submitted to the Archaeological Research Laboratory, Univ. of Wiscon-sin-Milwaukee, 1977. 

Archaeological and pedological stratigraphies were used to designate soil units in the field. However, conditions peculiar to volcanic soils limit the effectiveness of normal soil science laboratory tests. 

If you suspect that your soil lacks certain nutrients, take a soil sample and have it analyzed by a reputable laboratory. Your local Cooperative Extension office or state land grant university can tell you how to take a soil sample they may also be able to perform the tests for you or will recommend a private testing laboratory. 

Bonding of chemicals to wood cell wall components--cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin—can change the physical and chemical properties of the wood. For example, reaction of southern pine with simple epoxides results in a modified wood which is resistant to attack by subterranean termites in laboratory tests (1). Wood modified with acetic anhydride, dimethyl sulfate, 0-propiolactone and epoxides are highly resistant to attack by microorganisms in standard soil block laboratory tests (2,3). Southern pine modified by reaction with acetic anhydride and propylene and butylene oxides has a reduced tendency to swell in the presence of water (4). 

When choosing a suitable testing laboratory to carry out the analysis of bulk or soil type materials suspected of containing ACMs, the following requirements should be satisfied ... 

As with other fields of contaminated soil testing, the lack of standard reference materials results in the lack of ready means of having the performance of leaching tests accredited as part of a laboratory test accreditation procedure. This is potentially problematic as more and more legislation, including particularly European Directives such as the Landfill Directive, specify that testing must be carried out by competent and suitably accredited laboratories. 

The hydroxypyrimidine hydrolysis product of diazinon is more readily available in all soils tested and is mineralized by microbes (33). Our Microtox studies have demonstrated its low toxicity to bacteria. Availability, low microbial toxicity, and susceptibility to microbial metabolism of this hydrolysis product may favor enhanced degradation of its parent compound in soils with populations of degrading microorganisms, but no adaptation was noted in our laboratory studies. 

Laboratory and field testing determined the effectiveness of a new decontamination process for soils containing 2,4-D/2,4,5-T and traces of dioxin. The process employs three primary operations - thermal desorption to volatilize the contaminants, condensation and absorption of the contaminants in a solvent, and photochemical decomposition of the contaminants. Bench-scale experiments established the relationship between desorption conditions (time and temperature) and treatment efficiency. Laboratory tests using a batch photochemical reactor defined the kinetics of 2,3,7,8-TCDD disappearance. A pilot-scale system was assembled to process up to 100 pounds per hour of soil. Tests were conducted at two sites to evaluate treatment performance and develop scale-up information. Soil was successfully decontaminated to less than 1 ng/g... 

Table II. Effect of Treatment Conditions on Residual 2,3,7,8-TCDD in Soil During Laboratory Thermal Desorption Tests...

Laboratory Penetration Tests. Bench-scale laboratory penetration tests were performed to evaluate the possibility of applying molten sulfur directly to soil test specimens consisting of fine construction sand to stabilize them from wind and rain erosion. The emphasis was on penetration of the sulfur or chemically modified sulfur into the test specimen directly, thus avoiding the necessity of applying external heat to promote penetration. 

Effective stress-strain approaches in which one attempts to determine analytically the pore water pressures generated and their influence on the soil behavior. Laboratory tests on the sediments are utilized at a more fimdamental level to determine pore pressure generation characteristics... 

Vermeiden, J. 1977. Cone penetration test, December. LGM Mededelingen Report, Site Investigations, Delft Soil Mechanics Laboratory, Delft, the Netherlands, pp. 55-68. 

Maximum shear modulus of soil (G ) is the fundamental property of the soil in geotechnical earthquake engineering application. The most reliable methods to determine the maximum shear modulus of soil are those conducted in the field. This is because the laboratory soil testing of undisturbed soil samples is often subjected to errors due to sample disturbance. Evenifthe disturbance is minor in advanced technique of sampling, time and expense may be substantial. Hence in the present study shear wave velocity obtained from the cross hole test is utilized to compute the maximinn shear modulus of the soil using the formula discussed earlier. 

CEN ISO/TS 17892-1 2004/AC. 2005. Geotechnical investigation and testing - Laboratory testing of soil - Fart 1 Determination of water content. Brussels CEN. 

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