Comparison of the Concentration of Risk Elements in Alluvial Soils Determined by pXRF In Situ, in the Laboratory, and by ICP-OES

Abstract

The aim of the study was to compare the concentrations of risk elements (As, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in alluvial soil, which were measured by a portable X-ray fluorescence analyser (pXRF) in situ (FIELD) and in the laboratory (LABORATORY). Subsequently, regression equations were developed for individual elements through the method of construction of the regression model, which compare the results of pXRF with classical laboratory analysis (ICP-OES). The accuracy of the measurement, expressed by the coefficient of determination (R2), was as follows in the case of FIELD–ICP-OES: Pb (0.96), Zn (0.92), As (0.72), Mn (0.63), Cu (0.31) and Ni (0.01). In the case of LABORATORY–ICP-OES, the coefficients had values: Pb (0.99), Zn (0.98), Cu and Mn (0.89), As (0.88), Ni (0.81). A higher dependence of the relationship was recorded between LABORATORY–ICP-OES than between FIELD–ICP-OES. An excellent relationship was recorded for the elements Pb and Zn, both for FIELD and LABORATORY (R2 higher than 0.90). The elements Cu, Mn and As have a worse tightness in the relationship; however, the results of the model have shown its applicability for common use, e.g., in agricultural practice or in monitoring the quality of the environment. Based on our results, we can say that pXRF instruments can provide highly accurate results for the concentration of risk elements in the soil in real time for some elements and meet the principle of precision agriculture: an efficient, accurate and fast method of analysis.

Investigation of Soils and Pine Needles Using WDXRF and TXRF Techniques for Assessment of the Environmental Pollution of Shelekhov District, Eastern Siberia, by the Aluminum Industry and Heat Power Engineering

“…Investigation of pollution indicators in some samples (such as soils and pine needles), represents a complementary tool for environmental monitoring and studying of different types of anthropogenic contributions, e.g., industrial and traffic emissions [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. XRF methods enable fast multi-elemental analysis of soils using portable energy dispersive (EDXRF) equipment [12][13][14][15][16][17] and quantitative analysis using benchtop wavelength dispersive (WDXRF) equipment [1,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. Several XRF techniques were also developed for pine needles analysis [25][26][27][28][29][30].…”

Heavy Metal Pollution and Its Effects on Agriculture

“…The effect of its application on yield and quality of white mustard (Sinapis alba) is observed. The topic of heavy metals analysis in soil is presented in the study of Mensik et al [12]. The authors compare concentrations of risky elements in aluvial soils using the analysis by pXRF (Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy) method in situ with the spectrometric method ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry) in laboratory conditions.…”