Chemical Analysis and Laboratory
Service overview
Our chemical analysis facility provides a comprehensive range of standard and specialist composition tests for inorganic analysis. Our expert staff handle samples from plants, trees, soil and water following strict quality assurance protocols.
Quality assurance
Our chemical analysis facility is among the top performers in Europe for plant, water and soil analysis. We have ranked No.1 in the most recent EU-wide Interlaboratory comparisons:
- 3rd in 2018 out of 30 European laboratories for soil analysis (European Soil Survey –ICP Forests)
- 1st out of 59 European laboratories for plant analysis (ICP Forests)
- 3rd in 2019 out of 40 European laboratories for water analysis (ICP Forests)
The laboratory operates under the Joint Code of Practice for Research as our benchmark on quality assurance. We are also a member of a number of proficiency schemes to ensure our work remains of a high standard. These include:
- Yearly water proficiency test under the European Monitoring on Environmental Pollution project (EMEP) (No ranking available)
- Water (every other year) and plant (yearly) proficiency tests under the EU programme (ICP Forests)
- Every 3 years soil proficiency tests under the European Soil Survey programme (ICP Forests).
We also use:
- Certified Reference Materials (plant, soil or water) are run in every batch of analysis with matrix matching to maintain the quality of our data which is paramount in research and long term monitoring.
- Reference standards used through out every batch of analysis to assess any significant drift or change in sensitivity.
- Experienced staff some educated to BSc, MSc and PhD level.
Expertise
We have supported forestry-related research projects for more than 50 years. Through this active participation in research we have acquired significant expertise in testing a wide range of materials and developing protocols.
Our clients include research organisations and university research groups from across Europe as well as environmental consultants, forestry contractors and private woodland owners.
Read more detail about out plant, foliage, soil and water analysis capabilities.
Our tests use state-of-the-art laboratory equipment and instrumentation including our dual view optical emission spectrophotometer which offers low limits of detection and greater accuracy at trace levels.
Laboratory Capabilities
The Chemical Analysis Laboratory provides a wide range of inorganic analyses for plant, soil and water samples; including composts, effluents, sludges and even animal tissues (e.g. invertebrates).
We have a modern, well equipped laboratory with analytical instruments such as:
- HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography)
- ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrophotometry) with dual view (Axial & Radial)
- UV-VIS CFA (UV-Visible Continuous Flow Analysis)
- 2 Elemental Analysers (Carbon and Nitrogen in water and soil/plant)
- GC (Gas Chromatography) for gas analysis
- Automated pH and Alkalinity meter.
We also have specialised equipment for sample homogenisation and preparation such as:
- Jaw crusher, grinder and ball mill
- High accuracy 6 digit weighing balance
- Sample heating blocks
- Microwave digestion system
- Centrifuge.
Our new dual view (axial and radial) ICP-OES (optical Emission Spectrophotometer) allow much lower limits of detection than conventional ICP-OES and gives us great accuracy at trace levels.
Elemental analyser recently purchased for the European Soil Survey (BioSoil) project for measuring nitrogen and carbon (both organic and inorganic forms) in soils. This instrument can also be used for analysing other solid media such as plant samples.
High Performance Liquid Chromatography for analysing anions in water or other aqueous extracts (plant and soil).
The Chemical Analysis Laboratory is basedat Alice Holt Lodgein Farnham, Surrey.
Costs and Charges
If your required analysis is not listed below, please contact us as we have not listed all the tests available.
We can also offer a discount depending on the number of samples sent for analysis.
Water analysis (2019 prices exclusive of VAT)
| Test | Analysis | Price | Price ≥5 samples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Filtration to 0.45 µm | £3.20 | £3.20 |
| 2 | Suspended Solids (mg/l) | £4.50 | £4.50 |
| 3 | Turbidity (NTU) | £3.00 | £3.00 |
| 4 | pH | £4.50 | £4.50 |
| 5 | Conductivity (µS/cm) | £3.40 | £3.40 |
| 6 | Colour-Hazen value | £3.00 | £3.00 |
| 7 | Alkalinity (mg/l) | £4.50 | £4.50 |
| 8 | Anions (F, Cl, NO2, NO3, PO4 and SO4) (mg/l) | £26.00 | £22.50 |
| 9 | Ammonia/Ammonium (NH3/NH4) (mg/l) | £10.00 | £10.00 |
| 10 | Total Nitrogen (N) (mg/l) | £8.00 | £8.00 |
| 11 | Total Carbon or Total Inorganic Carbon (TC, TIC) (mg/l) | £10.00 | £10.00 |
| 12 | Total Inorganic Carbon (TIC) (mg/l) | £8.00 | £8.00 |
| 13 | Cations (Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Si, Sr, Zn) | £30.00 | £22.50 |
| 14 | Cations (Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Si, Sr, Zn) and screening for Arsenic, Selenium, Tin and Antimony (As, Se, Sn, Sb) | £38.00 | £30.00 |
| 15 | Other required water/aqueous sample analysis | Contact us | Contact us |
Plant analysis (2019 prices exclusive of VAT)
| Test | Analysis | Price | Price ≥5 samples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sample preparation (Drying at 70 oC and grinding for homogenisation) | £3.00 | £3.00 |
| 2 | Plant, Needle or Leaf weight (Fresh or dry material) (g) | £2.00 | £2.00 |
| 3 | Leaf area (cm2) | Contact us | Contact us |
| 4 | Moisture content (%) | £3.00 | £3.00 |
| 5 | Total nitrogen and carbon (N, C) (%) | £6.00 | £6.00 |
| 6 | Major cations (Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, P, Zn) (% - mg/kg) | £18.00 | £18.00 |
| 7 | Combined tests 1, 5 and 6 (% - mg/kg) | £25.00 | £25.00 |
| 8 | Fertiliser prescription for foliage nutrient deficiency (based on the analysis results of one 'good' and one 'poor' sample taken from a block of woodland.) | Not available | Not available |
| 9 | Trace metals (B, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Na, Ni, Pb) and major cations (Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, P, Zn) (% - mg/kg) | £35.00 | £26.00 |
| 10 | Water extractable chloride (Cl) (% - mg/kg) | £15.00 | £15.00 |
| 11 | Other required plant analysis | Contact us | Contact us |
Soil Analysis (2019 prices exclusive of VAT)
| Test | Analysis | Price | Price ≥5 samples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moisture content (fresh soils) 105 °C (%) | £3.00 | £3.00 |
| 2 | Bulk density (kg/m3) | £4.10 | £4.10 |
| 3 | Normal preparation: air drying, sieving (crushing if necessary) to 2 mm | £4.50 | £4.50 |
| 4 | pH (in H2O or 0.01 M CaCl2) | £4.50 | £4.50 |
| 5 | Soil conductivity (µs/cm) | £3.75 | £3.75 |
| 6 | Water soluble Anions (F, Cl, NO2, NO3, PO4 and SO4) (mg/kg) | £29.00 | £23.00 |
| 7 | Water soluble Ammonium (NH4) (mg/kg) | £15.00 | £11.00 |
| 8 | Exchangeable Cations (BaCl2 extraction; Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na) (cmol(+)/kg) | £24.00 | £18.00 |
| 9 | Exchangeable Acidity (BaCl2 extraction) (cmol(+)/kg) | £12.00 | £7.00 |
| 10 | Combined tests 8 and 9 (cmol(+)/kg) | £30.00 | £21.00 |
| 11 | Aqua Regia extractable elements (Al, As, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Sr, Zn, Zr) (mg/kg) | £39.00 | £29.00 |
| 12 | Acid Oxalate Extractable ions (Al, Fe) (% - mg/kg) | £26.00 | £22.00 |
| 13 | Soil ball milling for nitrogen and carbon analyses | £3.80 | £3.80 |
| 14 | Total Nitrogen and Total Carbon (TN, TC) (%) | £5.90 | £5.90 |
| 15 | Total Inorganic Carbon (TIC) (%) | £6.50 | £6.50 |
| 16 | Total Nitrogen, Carbon, Organic Carbon and Inorganic Carbon (TN, TC, TOC, TIC) (%) | £12.40 | £12.40 |
| 17 | Particle Size Distribution (% of clay, silt, sand) (%) | £35.00 | £35.00 |
| 18a | Ammonium Nitrate extractable ions (K, Mg(mg/kg) | £12.50 | £8.00 |
| 18b | Ammonium Nitrate extractable ions (Ca,K,Mg, Mn,Na,S) (mg/kg) | £20.00 | £15.00 |
| 19 | Phosphorus available (P Olsen method or Melich III, (mg/kg) with ADAS index | £16.50 | £12.50 |
| 20 | LOI (Loss On Ignition) Organic matter/Organic carbon (%) | £9.50 | £5.50 |
| 21 | Sodium Pyrophosphate extractable (Al, Fe, Mn) | £25.00 | £20.00 |
| 22 | Sodium Pyrophosphate extractable (DOC mg/kg) | £15.00 | £11.00 |
| 23 | Other soil extractions | Contact us | Contact us |
We also offer a broad range of specialist tests. Please contact us to discuss your specific requirements so we can provide you with a fully itemised costing.