oSIST prEN 18259:2025
(Main)Soil improvers and growing media - Determination of aqua regia soluble elements
Soil improvers and growing media - Determination of aqua regia soluble elements
This document specifies a method for the determination of elements in soil improvers or growing media extracts using inductively coupled plasmaatomic
emission spectrometry (ICPAES)
NOTE 1 Alternatively, other suitable analytical techniques, e.g. inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) or atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), can be used for the
measurement if the user proves that the method gives the same results.
This method is applicable to aqua regia extracts prepared according to EN 13650:— 1.
NOTE 2 The method may be used for the determination of other elements, provided the user has verified the applicability.
Bodenverbesserungsmittel und Kultursubstrate - Bestimmung von Elementen löslich in Königswasser
Dieses Dokument legt ein Verfahren zur Bestimmung von Elementen in Extrakten von Bodenverbesserungsmitteln oder Kultursubstraten mittels Atomemissionsspektrometrie mit induktiv gekoppeltem Plasma(ICP-AES) fest.
ANMERKUNG1 Alternativ sind andere analytische Techniken, z.B. die Massenspektrometrie mit induktiv gekoppeltem Plasma(ICP-MS) oder Atomabsorptionsspektrometrie(AAS), für die Messung geeignet, sofern der Anwender nachweist, dass das Verfahren zu den gleichen Ergebnissen führt.
Das Verfahren ist auf Königswasserextrakte anwendbar, die nach prEN13650:2025 hergestellt wurden.
ANMERKUNG2 Das Verfahren ist für die Bestimmung anderer Elemente geeignet, vorausgesetzt der Anwender hat die Anwendbarkeit überprüft.
Amendements du sol et supports de culture - Détermination des éléments solubles dans l'eau régale
Le présent document spécifie une méthode de détermination des éléments dans les extraits d’amendements du sol et de supports de culture par spectrométrie d’émission atomique par un plasma à couplage inductif (ICP-AES).
NOTE 1 D’autres techniques analytiques appropriées, par exemple la spectrométrie de masse avec plasma à couplage inductif (ICP-MS) ou la spectrométrie d’absorption atomique (AAS), conviennent également à la mesure si l’utilisateur prouve que la méthode conduit aux mêmes résultats.
Cette méthode est applicable aux extraits à l’eau régale préparés conformément au prEN 13650:2025.
NOTE 2 La méthode convient également au dosage d’autres éléments, à condition que l’utilisateur ait vérifié son applicabilité.
Izboljševalci tal in rastni substrati - Določanje elementov, topnih v zlatotopki
General Information
Standards Content (Sample)
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-december-2025
Izboljševalci tal in rastni substrati - Določanje elementov, topnih v zlatotopki
Soil improvers and growing media - Determination of aqua regia soluble elements
Bodenverbesserungsmittel und Kultursubstrate - Bestimmung von Elementen löslich in
Königswasser
Amendements du sol et supports de culture - Détermination des éléments solubles dans
l'eau régale
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 18259
ICS:
65.080 Gnojila Fertilizers
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.
DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
October 2025
ICS 65.080
English Version
Soil improvers and growing media - Determination of aqua
regia soluble elements
Amendements du sol et supports de culture - Bodenverbesserungsmittel und Kultursubstrate -
Détermination des éléments solubles dans l'eau régale Bestimmung von Elementen löslich in Königswasser
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 223.
If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations
which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.
This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.
Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 18259:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Principle . 5
5 Interferences . 5
5.1 General. 5
5.2 Spectral interferences . 6
5.3 Transport interferences . 6
5.4 Excitation interferences . 6
5.5 Chemical interferences . 6
5.6 Memory interferences . 6
6 Reagents . 6
6.1 General. 6
7 Apparatus . 7
8 Sampling . 8
9 Procedure . 8
9.1 Preparation of test and blank solution . 8
9.2 Preparation of the calibration solutions . 8
9.3 Measurement . 8
9.3.1 Instrument conditions . 8
9.3.2 Optimization of the instrument conditions . 9
9.3.3 Interferences . 9
9.3.4 Matrix effects . 9
9.3.5 Spiking . 9
10 Calculation and expression of the results . 10
11 Test report . 11
12 Validation of the method . 11
12.1 Validation in accordance with ISO 5725-2. 11
12.2 Performance characteristics. 11
Annex A (informative) Performance characteristics of the method . 12
Bibliography . 31
European foreword
This document (prEN 18259:2025) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 223 “Soil
improvers and growing media”, the secretariat of which is held by NEN.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
This document has been prepared under a standardization request addressed to CEN by the European
Commission. The Standing Committee of the EFTA States subsequently approves these requests for its
Member States.
Introduction
This document is part of a modular approach and concerns the analytical measurement step. “Modular”
means that a test standard concerns a specific step in assessing a property and not the whole chain of
measurements. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) is nowadays widely
used and a well-established method in many laboratories.
1 Scope
This document specifies a method for the determination of elements in soil improvers or growing media
extracts using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES).
NOTE 1 Alternatively, other suitable analytical techniques, e.g. inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
(ICP-MS) or atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), are suitable for the measurement if the user proves that the
method gives the same results.
This method is applicable to aqua regia extracts prepared according to prEN 13650:2025.
NOTE 2 The method is suitable for the determination of other elements, provided the user has verified the
applicability.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
CEN/TS 17732:2022, Soil improvers and growing media - Terminology
EN 12579:2024, Soil improvers and growing media - Sampling
prEN 13650:2025, Soil improvers and growing media — Digestion by aqua regia for subsequent
determination of elements
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in CEN/TS 17732:2022 apply.
4 Principle
The method is based on the inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES)
measurement of the concentration of elements in soil improvers and growing media in aqua regia
extracts. The elements are determined after an appropriate dilution of the extract, if necessary. The
solution is dispersed by a suitable nebulizer of the ICP-AES instrument and the resulting aerosol is
transported into the plasma torch. Element specific emission spectra are produced by a radiofrequency
inductively coupled argon plasma where atoms or ions are excited at high temperature. The emission
spectra are dispersed by a spectrometer, and the intensities of the emission lines are monitored by
photosensitive devices. Multi-element determinations using sequential or simultaneous optical systems
and axial, radial or dual viewing of the plasma may be used.
5 Interferences
5.1 General
Interferences and matrix effects shall be recognized and appropriate measures to minimize them shall be
made. There are several types of interferences – see 5.2 to 5.6.
5.2 Spectral interferences
Spectral interferences are due to incomplete isolation of the radiation emitted by the analyte from other
detected radiation sources. Spectral interferences are caused by the background emission from
continuous or recombination phenomena, by stray light which causes background increase or overlap of
a spectral line from another element, or by the unresolved overlap of molecular band spectra. Background
emission and stray light can usually be compensated for by subtracting the background emission
measured adjacent to the analyte wavelength peak. To correct a sloping background shift, background
correction points on each side of the peak are used. The increase of background is more intensive with
axial-view instruments. Background correction is not required in cases of line broadening where a
background correction measurement would actually degrade the analytical result. A spectral line overlap
usually leads to the choice of an alternative line. If this is not possible, mathematical correction
procedures (e.g. inter-element correction technique or multi-component spectral fitting) can be used to
compensate for the interference. These correction procedures are usually a part of the instrument
software.
5.3 Transport interferences
Transport interferences are caused by differences in the properties between the sample solutions and
the calibration solutions (viscosity, surface tension, density, dissolved solid content, type and
concentration of acids). As a consequence, the supply of solution to the nebuliser, the efficiency of
nebulisation and the droplet size distribution of the aerosol is altered, resulting in a change of sensitivity.
Errors due to these interferences can be overcome by dilution of the solutions, by matrix matching, by
standard addition or by internal standard.
5.4 Excitation interferences
Excitation interferences are attributed to a change in the excitation conditions in the plasma, especially
by the presence of easily ionisable elements. The interference depends on the operating conditions of the
plasma (e.g. power, sample introduction, gas flowrate or observation height) and differ from element to
element. Improvement of the plasma conditions can therefore reduce excitation interferences. Other
possibilities are dilution of the solutions, matrix matching or the standard addition technique.
5.5 Chemical interferences
Chemical interferences are not significant with the ICP-AES technique, but if observed, they can be
minimized by a careful selection of operating conditions (e.g. radio frequency power, observation
position, gas flow rate and so forth).
5.6 Memory interferences
Memory interferences result when analytes in a previous sample contribute to the signals measured in a
new sample. T
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