Patent Description:
The present invention relates to a method of analyzing magnesium content in soil, the method comprising: a) obtaining a soil sample; b) adding a liquid to the soil sample to form a soil slurry; c) flowing the soil slurry through a filter to form a filtrate; d) blending a reagent composition with the filtrate to form a soil mixture; and e) flowing the soil mixture through an analysis tool along a flow direction whereby a magnesium absorbance of the soil mixture is measured; and wherein the flow direction is oriented such that the soil mixture flows orthogonally to the direction of gravity.

The method of the present invention is defined in claim <NUM>.

In one embodiment the inventive method of analyzing magnesium content in soil comprises: a) obtaining a soil sample; b) adding a liquid to the soil sample to form a soil slurry; c) flowing the soil slurry through a filter to form a filtrate; d) blending a reagent composition with the filtrate to form a soil mixture; and e) flowing the soil mixture through an analysis tool along a flow direction whereby a magnesium absorbance of the soil mixture is measured; and wherein soil mixture comprises a surfactant and the flow direction is substantially horizontal and orthogonal to the direction of gravity.

Moreover, the features and benefits of the disclosure are illustrated by reference to the exemplified embodiments. Accordingly, the disclosure expressly should not be limited to such exemplary embodiments illustrating some possible non-limiting combination of features that may exist alone or in other combinations of features; the scope of the disclosure being defined by the claims appended hereto.

In the method of the present invention the soil analysis is performed to determine the elemental content of magnesium in a soil sample.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, magnesium analysis may be performed according to the following methodologies. A soil sample may be obtained and blended with liquid to create the soil slurry. The soil slurry may then flow through the filter element to create a filtrate, whereby one or more reagent may be added to the filtrate to create a mixture.

The soil mixture may then be analyzed for magnesium content by absorbance that may be read via a spectrophotometer at a wavelength ranging from <NUM> to <NUM>. In some embodiments, the soil mixture may then be analyzed for magnesium content by absorbance that may be read via a spectrophotometer at a wave length ranging from <NUM> to <NUM> - including all wavelengths and sub-ranges there-between - preferably about <NUM>. In some embodiments, the soil mixture may then be analyzed for magnesium content by absorbance that may be read via a spectrophotometer at a wave length ranging from <NUM> to <NUM> - including all wavelengths and sub-ranges there-between - preferably about <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the magnesium content analysis may occur inside of the analysis tool <NUM> and as the soil mixture flows along the vertical FD, whereby the vertical FD is substantially parallel to gravitational direction GD such that the soil mixture flows downward at least partially under the effects of gravity. In some embodiments, the magnesium content analysis may occur inside of the analysis tool 110a and as the soil mixture flows along the vertical FD, whereby the vertical FD is substantially parallel to gravitational direction GD such that the soil mixture flows upward against the effects of gravity.

In alternative embodiments, the magnesium content analysis may occur inside of the analysis tool <NUM> and as the soil mixture flows along the horizontal FD, whereby the horizontal FD is substantially orthogonal to the gravitational direction GD and the soil slurry flows horizontally through the analysis tool <NUM>.

A second experiment was performed to test the impact of horizontal FD and vertical FD as it relates to surfactant for a magnesium soil analysis.

The samples of Examples <NUM>-<NUM> were prepared by blending soil and water together at a <NUM>:<NUM> ratio to create a slurry, whereby the slurry is pulled into the extraction portion of the system and magnesium is extracted in a <NUM>:<NUM> ratio of slurry to extractant with ammonium acetate. After extraction, the extracted samples were filtered and the filtrate was subsequently blended with reagent to create a soil mixture, the reagent including Tetrabutylammonium hydroxide and boric acid and subsequently mixed with Chlorophosphonazo III. Each soil mixture of Examples <NUM>-<NUM> were then flowed along the horizontal FD through the analysis tool.

The sample of Example <NUM> included a non-ionic surfactant. The sample of Example <NUM> included an anionic surfactant. The sample of Example <NUM> included a cationic surfactant. The sample of Example <NUM> was free of surfactant.

The samples of Examples <NUM>-<NUM> were prepared by blending soil and water together at a <NUM>:<NUM> ratio to create a slurry, whereby the slurry is pulled into the extraction portion of the system and magnesium is extracted in a <NUM>:<NUM> ratio of slurry to extractant with ammonium acetate. After extraction, the extracted samples were filtered and the filtrate was subsequently blended with reagent to create a soil mixture, the reagent including Tetrabutylammonium hydroxide and boric acid and subsequently mixed with Chlorophosphonazo III. Each soil mixture of Examples <NUM>-<NUM> were then flowed along the vertical FD through the analysis tool.

Each sample of Examples <NUM>-<NUM> were analyzed by the analysis tool at a wavelength between <NUM> - <NUM> to determine the magnesium concentration in the sample. After mixing, each sample produces turbidity, and the ability to read through each sample was recorded as either a pass or fail - whereby the pass value equates to an optical property sufficiently clear to allow for the reading of the magnesium concentration at a wavelength between <NUM> - <NUM> and the fail value equates to an optical property insufficiently clear to not allow for reading of the magnesium concentration at a wavelength between <NUM> - <NUM>. The results are set forth below in Table <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A method of analyzing magnesium content in soil, the method comprising:
a) obtaining a soil sample;
b) adding a liquid comprising a surfactant to the soil sample to form a soil slurry;
c) flowing the soil slurry through a filter to form a filtrate;
d) blending a reagent composition with the filtrate to form a soil mixture; and
e) flowing the soil mixture through an analysis tool along a flow direction that is substantially orthogonal to the direction of gravity, whereby a magnesium absorbance of the soil mixture is measured.