FprEN 18258

Soil improvers and growing media - Determination of the mercury content

Publication date:   Oct 23, 2025

Scope

This document specifies a method for determination of mercury in aqua regia digests of soil improvers and growing media, prepared according to EN 13650, using (cold) vapour generation apparatus coupled to an atomic absorption spectrophotometer or thermal decomposition, amalgamation and atomic absorption spectrophotometry. With the latter technique, direct analysis is also suitable for solid samples.
NOTE 1 It is also possible to use other suitable methods for the determination of mercury described in Annex A if users prove that the method gives the same results as the methods described in this document.
NOTE 2 This method has been validated in an interlaboratory study with specific products that were present on the market during the study (as included in Annex B, being biowaste compost (dry HM spiked, Rottegrad 3, milled, sieved at 0,5 mm, dried and spiked), green compost (dry HM spiked, Rottegrad 5, milled, sieved at 0,5 mm, dried and spiked), liquid digestate (HM spiked, sieved 0 mm to 12 mm, spiked), expanded clay (dry HM spiked, milled, sieved at 0,5 mm, dried and spiked), mineral wool (fresh), soil improver (dry HM spiked, milled, sieved at 0,5 mm, dried and spiked) and growing media blend 1 (dry HM spiked, white peat, green compost, wood fibre, lime, inorganic fertilizer (NPK + micro elements), milled, sieved at 0,5 mm, dried and spiked)).

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