Soil is a heterogeneous material with significant variations possible within the same sampling site due to different topography, agricultural procedures, soil type, e.g. clay content, drainage and underlying geology. Soil sampling can be carried out, for example, using an auger, spade or trowel. A corkscrew-type manual auger allows you to acquire a sample at a reasonable depth while a trowel is more appropriate for surface materials. As all three devices are made of stainless steel, the risk of contamination is reduced. However, great care must be taken to avoid cross-contamination from one sampling point to another. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Obtain an original testOnce the sample is obtained, it should be placed in a suitable container such as a bag of geological soil, sealed and clearly labeled with a permanent marker. pen. After obtaining the soil sample, replace any unwanted soil and cover it with sod, if applicable. The sample will then be taken back to the laboratory for pre-treatment. In the laboratory, the soil sample will be dried either by air drying or in a drying cabinet. Drying time and temperature are variable, but generally air drying below 20℃ may need 7 days, while in a drying cabinet at 40℃ it may take 48 hours. Consideration must be given to the potential loss of contaminants due to the use of high temperature. After drying, the sample should be sieved through a nylon or stainless steel filter. Typically, soil samples are sieved to a particle size of less than 2 mm. It may be necessary to reduce the overall quantity of sample required for subsequent sample processing/analysis while maintaining sample homogeneity. This can be done using a process called “coning and quartering”. The process involves decanting the soil sample onto an inert, uncontaminated surface. For example, clean polyethylene sheets, to form a cone. Then the cone is divided into 4 quarters manually using a stainless steel trowel. Then two opposite quarters of the cone are removed and reformed into a new substance, but smaller than the original cone. By repeating the process as many times as necessary, an appropriately sized subsample is now ready for sample extraction or digestion. The diagram shows the portable auger Preparation of Environmental Solid Samples for Inorganic Analysis Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometer Keep in mind: This is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a custom essayFlame atomic absorption spectrometer is used for the detection of metals present in soil, which is a common technique for land analysis. In this technique, a light beam of the correct wavelength to be specific to a particular metal is directed through a flame. The flame atomizes the sample, producing atoms in their lowest electronic energy state, also called the ground state. For the Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (FAAS) measurement to excite atoms to the ground state, an external light source is required. These are capable of absorbing the radiation from the lamp. The nebulizer is part of the FAAS and this part is very important and complicated for this spectrometer. The nebulizer and burner combination provides the atomic aerosol for the FAAS. The sample in..