A quantitative analysis of elements in soil using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technique

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was applied to the quantitative analysis of elemental composition of soil. The experiment was performed in air at atmospheric pressure and at room temperature. A Nd:YAG laser with the fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm was employed to generate the soil plasma. The emission spectra from the plasma were collected by the Cerny-Turner type of spectrometer, which was equipped with an intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD). The plasma temperature and electron density were evaluated by the Boltzmann plot method and the Saha-Boltzmann equation respectively. Then the concentrations of elements in soil were further obtained by the internal standard of iron element and some selected atomic/ionic lines. In order to prove the credibility and reliability of the present LIBS results, a comparison between the LIBS results and the nominal concentrations was performed. It was found that the LIBS results agree with the nominal concentrations. Therefore the LIBS technique promises to fast and in simultaneous multi-element quantitative analysis of soil.