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A new, European standard for total carbon determination and characterization in soil and solid waste samples has recently been released.

The EN 17505 Standard specifies a method for the temperature dependent differentiation of the organic carbon content (TOC400), the residual oxidizable carbon (ROC) (including e.g. lignite (brown coal), hard coal, charcoal, black carbon, soot) and the inorganic carbon (TIC900). The method uses an increasing furnace temperature to separate the different carbon fractions.

The new EN 17505 Standard "Soil and waste characterization - Temperature dependent differentiation of total carbon (TOC400, ROC, TIC900)"

The EN 17505 Standard provides a new European norm for labs undertaking total organic carbon (TOC) analysis. Focusing on soil and waste characterization, the standard cites reference samples of “dry solid samples of sediment, soil, soil with anthropogenic admixtures and solid waste”.

The Standard is currently being adopted in CEN (European Committee for Standardization) member states, which include much of Europe and the UK. It provides guidelines for labs using the temperature-ramping method (which incorporates TOC400, ROC, and TIC900) and is based on the previous German norm, DIN 19539.

Accuracy and consistency of TOC analysis results

Elementar, one of the leading manufacturers of high-performance analysis of organic and inorganic elements, contributed data to the development of the standard, along with some of their customers.

Dr Calum Preece, Product Manager at Elementar, said: "The EN 17505 Standard specifies requirements to ensure accuracy and consistency of TOC analysis results across different companies, institutions and sectors. We’ve received some fantastic feedback from companies using the temperature ramping method, who have shared how it has significantly increased the speed of returning results in their busy labs."

Standard-compliant TOC analyzers are already available

Elementar has also confirmed that its applicable instruments are compliant with the new Standard. Elementar's soli TOC® cube is built for carbon analysis in solid waste, and offers efficient oxidation, precise detection and robust calibration routines, ensuring that results align with the standard's guidelines. As the most sensitive instrument in the market, it offers an unmatched measurement range from 0.001 – 100 % carbon.

For the determination of temperature-dependent carbon fractions, a precise, adjustable temperature is required for reproducible measurements. This is achieved by the dynamic heater in the soli TOC® cube, which controls the temperature directly at the crucible.

About Elementar

Elementar Analysensysteme GmbH is one of the leading companies in the field of high-performance analysis of organic and inorganic elements. With more than 200 employees, Elementar develops and manufactures instrument solutions for a wide range of markets such as agriculture, chemistry, environment, energy, materials, and forensics. The headquarters of the owner-managed company is in Langenselbold, in the Rhine-Main region near Frankfurt. Elementar has nine international locations. Together with sales and service partners worldwide, the company serves customers in more than 80 countries.

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