DIN Standards Committee Food and Agricultural Products
Organic and organo-mineral fertilizers - Digestion by aqua regia for subsequent determination of elements; German and English version prEN 17768:2026
Abstract
This document specifies the procedure for digestion of different organic and organo-mineral fertilizers with aqua regia to enable a subsequent determination of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), boron (B), cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), zinc (Zn), mercury (Hg), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), sulfur (S) and sodium (Na)). This document is applicable to the component materials "by-products", when used as components of fertilizing products, as well as the fertilizing products blends where a blend is a mix of at least two of the following components: fertilizers, liming materials, soil improvers, growing media, inhibitors, plant biostimulants, and where the following category: organic fertilizers, organo-mineral fertilizers is the highest % in the blend by mass or volume, or in the case of liquid form by dry mass. If the organic fertilizer or the organo-mineral fertilizer is not the highest % in the blend, the European Standard for the highest % of the blend applies. In case a fertilizing product blend is composed of components in equal quantity, the user decides which standard to apply. Variations in analytical methods for fertilizing product blends can lead to differing results as some components or matrix interactions can affect the outcome. Validation procedures have shown that developed standard methods are robust and reliable across diverse product compositions, but possible interferences and unexpected results when analysing fertilizing product blends are possible. The digests are suitable for analysis using prEN 177701 [11] and prEN 177692[10]. This document is applicable and validated for several types of matrices as indicated in Annex A. NOTE 1 Digestates prepared by the procedure given in this document can also be applied for determination of other elements. NOTE 2 Alternatively, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) can be used for the measurement if the user proves that the method gives the same results.
Begin
2025-06-10
WI
00260329
Planned document number
DIN EN 17768
Project number
05702816
Responsible national committee
Responsible european committee
CEN/TC 260/WG 8 - Organic and organo-mineral fertilizers
draft standard
Organic and organo-mineral fertilizers - Digestion by aqua regia for subsequent determination of elements; German and English version prEN 17768:2026
2026-02
Order from DIN Media