Influence of soil specimen preparation on results of its organic matter content laboratory determination

¹ University of Žilina, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Univerzitná 8215/1, 010 26 Žilina, Slovakia
² University of Bielsko-Biela, Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biala, Poland

^* Corresponding author: giang.nguyen@fstav.uniza.sk

Abstract

Paper deals with influence of soil specimen preparation on values of its organic matter content, determined by laboratory tests. Totally 54 specimens of soils CG, CL, CI and CH from Lipnik, Międzyrzecze and Nieboczowy, Poland were tested. To obtain values of soils organic matter content, the oxidation method introduced in the Polish Standard PN-88/B-04481 was applied. The tests were carried out for particles smaller than 2 mm. For every sample, 3 specimens (every with a mass about 10 g of dry soil) were prepared by such a way that the first one is taken from whole sample after drying about 200 g of wet soil. The second and third one were taken from 50 g of remaining sample mass after taking the first one. As an oxidizing agent, the 30% hydrogen peroxide solution was used. The results show that values of organic matter content of soils range from 0.03% to 2.74%. The largest difference in values of organic matter content, caused by specimen preparation, was 0.38% (absolute difference), corresponding to relative difference 15.86%. The smallest difference was null. Mentioned difference causes negligible difference in soil erodibility factor K hence negligible difference in soil erosion rate in mentioned locations.