Sulfur Detection in Soil by Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Assisted by Multivariate Analysis

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Science
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Accurate sulfur determination in organic soils is crucial for environmental monitoring and agricultural management.
• Traditional methods for sulfur analysis can be time-consuming and require complex sample preparation.
• Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) offers a rapid, direct elemental analysis technique with minimal sample preparation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for the quantitative determination of sulfur in organic soil samples.
• To identify optimal sulfur spectral lines within the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) region for LIBS analysis.
• To compare the performance of univariate and multivariate statistical models in processing LIBS data for sulfur analysis.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) to analyze organic soil samples.
• Focused on sulfur spectral lines in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) region for calibration curve construction.
• Employed both univariate and multivariate statistical approaches for data analysis and quantification.

Main Results:

• Identified specific VUV sulfur spectral lines suitable for sensitive detection in soil matrices.
• Developed calibration curves based on selected VUV sulfur lines.
• Demonstrated that multivariate analysis significantly improved the accuracy of sulfur quantification compared to univariate methods.

Conclusions:

• LIBS is a viable and efficient technique for rapid sulfur detection in organic soil samples.
• The use of VUV spectral lines and multivariate statistical analysis enhances LIBS performance for soil sulfur analysis.
• This approach expands the application potential of LIBS in environmental and agricultural soil analysis.