Determination of Nutrients in Liquid Manures and Biogas Digestates by Portable Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry
Knowing the exact nutrient composition of organic fertilizers is a prerequisite for their appropriate application to improve yield and to avoid environmental pollution by over-fertilization. Traditional standard chemical analysis is cost and time-consuming and thus it is unsuitable for a rapid analy...
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MDPI AG
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/11/3892 |
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| author | Michael Horf Robin Gebbers Sebastian Vogel Markus Ostermann Max-Frederik Piepel Hans-Werner Olfs |
| author_facet | Michael Horf Robin Gebbers Sebastian Vogel Markus Ostermann Max-Frederik Piepel Hans-Werner Olfs |
| author_sort | Michael Horf |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Knowing the exact nutrient composition of organic fertilizers is a prerequisite for their appropriate application to improve yield and to avoid environmental pollution by over-fertilization. Traditional standard chemical analysis is cost and time-consuming and thus it is unsuitable for a rapid analysis before manure application. As a possible alternative, a handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer was tested to enable a fast, simultaneous, and on-site analysis of several elements. A set of 62 liquid pig and cattle manures as well as biogas digestates were collected, intensively homogenized and analysed for the macro plant nutrients phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sulphur as well as the micro nutrients manganese, iron, copper, and zinc using the standard lab procedure. The effect of four different sample preparation steps (original, dried, filtered, and dried filter residues) on XRF measurement accuracy was examined. Therefore, XRF results were correlated with values of the reference analysis. The best R<sup>2</sup>s for each element ranged from 0.64 to 0.92. Comparing the four preparation steps, XRF results for dried samples showed good correlations (0.64 and 0.86) for all elements. XRF measurements using dried filter residues showed also good correlations with R<sup>2</sup>s between 0.65 and 0.91 except for P, Mg, and Ca. In contrast, correlation analysis for liquid samples (original and filtered) resulted in lower R<sup>2</sup>s from 0.02 to 0.68, except for K (0.83 and 0.87, respectively). Based on these results, it can be concluded that handheld XRF is a promising measuring system for element analysis in manures and digestates. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:43:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-be188e5218fa4250b9e32e41a29ca6dd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:43:15Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-be188e5218fa4250b9e32e41a29ca6dd2023-11-21T22:50:43ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202021-06-012111389210.3390/s21113892Determination of Nutrients in Liquid Manures and Biogas Digestates by Portable Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence SpectrometryMichael Horf0Robin Gebbers1Sebastian Vogel2Markus Ostermann3Max-Frederik Piepel4Hans-Werner Olfs5Abteilung Technik im Pflanzenbau, Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik und Bioökonomie (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, D-14469 Potsdam, GermanyAbteilung Technik im Pflanzenbau, Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik und Bioökonomie (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, D-14469 Potsdam, GermanyAbteilung Technik im Pflanzenbau, Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik und Bioökonomie (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, D-14469 Potsdam, GermanyFachbereich 1.4, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung (BAM), Zweiggelände Adlershof, Richard-Willstätter-Straße 11, D-12489 Berlin, GermanyFachgebiet Pflanzenernährung und Pflanzenbau, Fakultät Agrarwissenschaften und Landschaftsarchitektur, Hochschule Osnabrück, Am Krümpel 31, D-49090 Osnabrück, GermanyFachgebiet Pflanzenernährung und Pflanzenbau, Fakultät Agrarwissenschaften und Landschaftsarchitektur, Hochschule Osnabrück, Am Krümpel 31, D-49090 Osnabrück, GermanyKnowing the exact nutrient composition of organic fertilizers is a prerequisite for their appropriate application to improve yield and to avoid environmental pollution by over-fertilization. Traditional standard chemical analysis is cost and time-consuming and thus it is unsuitable for a rapid analysis before manure application. As a possible alternative, a handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer was tested to enable a fast, simultaneous, and on-site analysis of several elements. A set of 62 liquid pig and cattle manures as well as biogas digestates were collected, intensively homogenized and analysed for the macro plant nutrients phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sulphur as well as the micro nutrients manganese, iron, copper, and zinc using the standard lab procedure. The effect of four different sample preparation steps (original, dried, filtered, and dried filter residues) on XRF measurement accuracy was examined. Therefore, XRF results were correlated with values of the reference analysis. The best R<sup>2</sup>s for each element ranged from 0.64 to 0.92. Comparing the four preparation steps, XRF results for dried samples showed good correlations (0.64 and 0.86) for all elements. XRF measurements using dried filter residues showed also good correlations with R<sup>2</sup>s between 0.65 and 0.91 except for P, Mg, and Ca. In contrast, correlation analysis for liquid samples (original and filtered) resulted in lower R<sup>2</sup>s from 0.02 to 0.68, except for K (0.83 and 0.87, respectively). Based on these results, it can be concluded that handheld XRF is a promising measuring system for element analysis in manures and digestates.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/11/3892handheld XRFanimal slurryorganic fertilizersfertilization managementprecision farming |
| spellingShingle | Michael Horf Robin Gebbers Sebastian Vogel Markus Ostermann Max-Frederik Piepel Hans-Werner Olfs Determination of Nutrients in Liquid Manures and Biogas Digestates by Portable Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry Sensors handheld XRF animal slurry organic fertilizers fertilization management precision farming |
| title | Determination of Nutrients in Liquid Manures and Biogas Digestates by Portable Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry |
| title_full | Determination of Nutrients in Liquid Manures and Biogas Digestates by Portable Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry |
| title_fullStr | Determination of Nutrients in Liquid Manures and Biogas Digestates by Portable Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry |
| title_full_unstemmed | Determination of Nutrients in Liquid Manures and Biogas Digestates by Portable Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry |
| title_short | Determination of Nutrients in Liquid Manures and Biogas Digestates by Portable Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry |
| title_sort | determination of nutrients in liquid manures and biogas digestates by portable energy dispersive x ray fluorescence spectrometry |
| topic | handheld XRF animal slurry organic fertilizers fertilization management precision farming |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/11/3892 |
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