ISO/NP TS 26632

Soils and biomass — Characterization of Nature, Origin, Stability and Amount of Carbon using a ramped thermal method with continuous multi-species detection (HC, CO, CO₂) — NOSAC method

Scope

This thermal method provides an approach for characterizing various properties of carbon in soils and biomass, including its nature (organic vs. inorganic; type of carbonates), origin (e.g. pedogenic organic matter, lithogenic organic matter, organic amendments, organic pollutants), stability, and amount.
It is applicable to all soil types, regardless of texture (calcareous, clayey, loamy, or sandy) or soil horizons (organic layer, topsoil, or subsoil). The method is particularly advantageous for calcareous soils, for which specific adjustments of the analytical heating program have been developed to ensure accurate measurement of organic and inorganic carbon contents.
The method is compatible with various land uses, including agriculture, forestry, urban and industrial use, as well as diverse land covers such as croplands, forest soils, grasslands, peatlands, and permafrost. It is also applicable to constructed soils. It has demonstrated reliability on soils under various climatic conditions, including temperate, continental, tropical, alpine, arid, and polar climates.
Moreover, the method extends to the analysis of biomass, encompassing agricultural residues (e.g. crop residues, wood residues, manure), agriculture-derived materials (e.g. digestates, biochars), and waste-derived products (e.g. composts, vermicomposts, urban and industrial organic waste, sewage sludges).