Soil and Water Conservation Laboratory Standard Operating Procedure

Loss on Ignition (LOI) Reference Method: Wilke, Berndt-Michael,2005, Determination of Chemical and Physical Soil Properties, in Manual of Soil Analysis, Eds. Margensin, R. & F. Schinner, Springer, Germany, pp. 74 76. Purpose To determine the soil organic matter of the soil of interest. The loss on ignition method is based on based on ignition of a dried soil sample. The soil organic matter is calculated as the mass difference before and after ignition (550 25o C). Methods and Equipment 2-mm mesh sieve Drying oven, controlled at a fixed temperature of 105 5o C Muffle furnace, capable of maintaining a temperature of 550 25o C Analytical balance, accuracy 0.01g Porcelain crucibles or bowls Desiccator Gloves and thongs Protective eyewear Appropriate lab attire Procedure 1. Use field moist, sieved (< 5mm) soil or air-dried (< 2mm) soil. Prior to LOI prepare the soil sample by drying the soil to 105o C (refer to drying method as outlined in soil moisture content or bulk density). 2. Next heat crucibles/ bowls in the muffle furnace at 550 25o C for 20 minutes. Cool in the desiccator and weigh (mc) to 0.1g. 3. Weigh 5 20 g of soil and put in the crucibles (m1). Then place crucibles with soil in the cold muffle furnace. 4. Gradually heat the muffle furnace to 550 25o C for 2 -4 hours until a constant mass is reached. 5. Open muffle furnace door and cool to 100o C. 6. Remove crucibles and place in the desiccator and cool to room temperature (~ 1 hour). 7. Measure the mass of the crucible + ignited soil (m2) twice. The difference of the individual measurements from the mean should not exceed 5%. Calculation 1. Calculate the loss of mass after ignition at 550 o C (m; g): 2. Calculate the LOI which corresponds to the soil organic matter content:
m = m1 m 2

LOI (%) =

m 100 md

* Remember,

md = m1 mc

m: loss of mass of the soil after ignition at 550oC (g) mc: mass of crucible (g) m1: mass of the soil dried at 105o C (g) and crucible m2: mass of the soil ignited to 550o C (g) and crucible md: mass of the soil dried at 105o C (g) Example Calculation mc = 3.11 g m1 = 19.36 g m2 = 16.77 g 1. m = 19.36g 16.77g = 2.59 g 2. md = 19.36g 3.11g = 16.25 g LOI = 16 .25 g 100 = 15.94 %
2.59 g