A disposable system for soil pore‐water extraction by centrifugation

Evaluation of the partitioning of contaminant and nutrient elements between soil particles and their surrounding solution requires separation of the pore‐water from the solids. Disposable soil‐sample holders are described that can be used in low‐ and ultra‐speed centrifuges. The pore‐water sample is filtered of paniculate during centrifugation, thus eliminating the tedious step of separating the centrifugate from the soil using pipettes. The system is inexpensive, works for both fine mineral and peat soils, requires little preparation time and provides enough pore‐water of sufficient quality for chemical analysis.