A method for determining the cation-exchange capacity of organic materials

Summary A method for determining the cation-exchange capacity (CEC) of organic matter was developed by modifying the BaCl₂ triethanolamine, pH 8.1, method used in calcareous soils. Problems arising from the presence of sulphates and losses of water soluble organic matter were solved. The proposed method for organic matter is comparable to that of soil in terms of sensitivity, reproducibility and in the time necessary for each analysis. In the second part of the work the CEC's of diverse organic samples were determined and found to be reproducible with an average coefficient of variation of 3.56%.