CHNS Determination in Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers

The use of organic and inorganic fertilizers is fundamental in agriculture to restore essential nutrients in the soil, ensuring healthy plant development and high crop yields. Fertilizers significantly enhance the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the soil, contributing to sustainable and productive farming. For this reason, By understanding the CHNS composition in fertilizers, manufacturers and researchers can achieve precise nutrient management, develop improved formulations, and comply with regulatory standards.

Why Determine CHNS in Fertilizers?

Determining the elemental composition of fertilizers—specifically carbon (C), hydrogen (H), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S)—is critical for multiple purposes:

Nutrient Optimization: CHNS determination provides critical insights into the nutrient content of fertilizers, supporting efficient application rates and balanced soil nutrition.
Quality Control: Consistent CHNS analysis ensures that fertilizers meet quality and performance specifications, boosting agricultural productivity.
Environmental Compliance: Nitrogen and sulfur play key roles in environmental sustainability. Monitoring these elements helps mitigate issues such as nutrient leaching, greenhouse gas emissions, and soil acidification.
Product Development: For manufacturers, CHNS determination aids in refining fertilizer formulations to achieve better efficiency and environmental compatibility.

How to Determine CHNS in Fertilizers?

The CHNS analysis process is standardized, efficient, and performed using advanced elemental analyzers. It involves two main steps:

Sample Preparation: Fertilizer samples, whether solid or liquid, are carefully homogenized and weighed. High-temperature combustion is then performed to break down the sample into elemental gases.
Elemental Detection: The produced gases (CO₂, H₂O, N₂, and SO₂) are separated and quantified using thermal conductivity detection (TCD). This process provides precise data on the CHNS content, meeting the needs of quality control and research laboratories.

➡️ IN THIS APPLICATION NOTE ⬅️ you will find an in-depth explanation of the methodology, including instrumentation and official guidelines.

If you’d like to learn how the VELP EMA 502 CHNS Elemental Analyzer delivers fast, accurate results to enhance your fertilizer analysis process, just get in touch with our experts!

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Reference methods

ISO 10694 - Soil quality - Determination of organic and total carbon after dry combustion (elementary analysis).
UNI EN 15936 - Soil, waste, treated biowaste, and sludge – determination of total organic carbon (TOC) by dry combustion.
AOAC 993.13 Nitrogen (Total) in Fertilizers.
ISO 20620:2021 Fertilizers and soil conditioners: determination of total nitrogen by combustion.
AOAC 2017.08 Total sulfur in fertilizers: high-temperature combustion.
ISO 2287:2020 Determination of total sulfur in fertilizers by high-temperature combustion.

Discover more

EMA 502 Elemental Analyzer CHNS-O Precise, versatile, cloud-enabled micro elemental analyzer for Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Sulfur and Oxygen determination with Helium and Argon as carrier gas.

Elemental Analysis Masterclass: CHNS-O Determination with the EMA 502 Access the VELP lab and learn how the new EMA 502 Elemental Analyzer enables you to determine the structure of unknown compounds and evaluate the purity of synthesized ones.

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