Summary
This study developed empirical calibrations for portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry to enable rapid, on-site measurement of nutrient content and trace element contaminants in fertilisers. Using a range of unamended and intentionally amended fertiliser samples, the authors demonstrated that pXRF can reliably quantify major nutrients (P, Ca), micronutrients (Mn, Fe, Cu) and potential contaminants (Cr, Ni, As) with high accuracy, offering a cost-effective and accessible alternative to conventional laboratory characterisation methods for fertiliser quality control.
UK applicability
Given the United Kingdom's regulation of fertiliser quality and increasing concern over soil and food contamination by heavy metals, this pXRF calibration method could support domestic fertiliser manufacturers and regulators in cost-effective compliance testing. However, the abstract does not specify whether calibrations were optimised for UK fertiliser types or regulatory thresholds, so local validation may be necessary before implementation.
Key measures
R² values and regression coefficients for calibration and validation models; elemental concentrations measured by pXRF; accuracy across concentration ranges (0–100 mg kg⁻¹ and up to 1000 mg kg⁻¹)
Outcomes reported
The study developed and validated empirical calibrations for portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) to measure macro and micronutrients (Mg, P, S, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Zn, Mo) and trace element contaminants (Co, Ni, As, Se, Cd, Pb) in fertilisers. Models achieved R² ≥0.97 for most nutrients and R² ≥0.80 for trace elements, demonstrating pXRF as a high-throughput quality control tool.
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