Calibration of a semi-opened static chamber for the quantification of volatilized ammonia from soil

Abstract

The objective of this work was to calibrate a practical and low-cost chamber for the quantification of ammonia volatilization from soil. The chamber was calibrated using the 15N isotope balance technique. The volatilized ammonia was captured by a semi-opened free static chamber built with a 2 L ethylene polyterephthalate (PET) plastic bottle. The inner side of the chamber had free-air circulation and a stripe of polyurethane foam, with 2.5 cm wide and 25 cm long, hanged vertically with the lower end inserted in a bottle containing acid solution, which kept the foam moistened. The recovery of 15N-ammonia by the chamber increased linearly with the increase in the rate of soil ammonia volatilization. Field tests showed an efficiency of 57% in the volatilized ammonia recuperation. The sampling interval of foam can vary from one to six days without impairing the system efficiency. For studies in the field using the proposed method, a correction factor of 1.74 should be used to estimate the real rate of ammonia volatilization from soil.