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When are total concentrations not total? Factors affecting geochemical analytical techniques for measuring element concentrations in soil

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Abstract

Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) following aqua regia digestion and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) are both geochemical techniques used to determine ‘total’ concentrations of elements in soil. The aim of this study is to compare these techniques, identify elements for which inconsistencies occur and investigate why they arise. A study area (∼14,000 km2) with a variety of total concentration controls and a large geochemical dataset (n = 7950) was selected. Principal component analysis determined underlying variance in a dataset composed of both geogenic and anthropogenic elements. Where inconsistencies between the techniques were identified, further numerical and spatial analysis was completed. The techniques are more consistent for elements of geogenic sources and lead, whereas other elements of anthropogenic sources show less consistency within rural samples. XRF is affected by sample matrix, while the form of element affects ICP concentrations. Depending on their use in environmental studies, different outcomes would be expected from the techniques employed, suggesting the choice of analytical technique for geochemical analyses may be more critical than realised.

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Acknowledgments

The Northern Ireland Tellus project was funded by the Northern Ireland Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and by the Rural Development Programme through the Northern Ireland Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity. Rebekka McIlwaine was funded by the Department of Education and Learning (Northern Ireland).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Engineering Research Centre, School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 5AG, UK

    Rebekka McIlwaine, Siobhan F. Cox & Rory Doherty

Authors
  1. Rebekka McIlwaine
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  2. Siobhan F. Cox
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  3. Rory Doherty
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Correspondence to Rebekka McIlwaine.

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Responsible editor: Zhihong Xu

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McIlwaine, R., Cox, S.F. & Doherty, R. When are total concentrations not total? Factors affecting geochemical analytical techniques for measuring element concentrations in soil. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 6364–6371 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4204-5

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