Soil Solution Plates
ecoTech Soil Solution Suction Plates are designed for the area-related extraction of soil solution, providing a practical solution for investigating solute concentrations and fluxes through the soil profile. Their defined sampling area makes them particularly useful for field studies, lysimeters and long-term soil water monitoring.
Compared with conventional suction cups, suction plates sample across a larger, defined surface area. This can provide a more representative sample and allows measured concentrations and seepage quantities to be related to a known area—an important advantage when investigating nutrient or contaminant leaching.
ecoTech offers suction plates in plastic and borosilicate glass, allowing the sampling material to be selected according to the target analytes.
Plastic Suction Plates
Plastic suction plates are particularly suited to the analysis of inorganic solutes with high sorption coefficients, including heavy metals, metalloids and phosphates. The 250 × 250 mm plates feature a polyamide membrane with high hydraulic conductivity and can be connected using a tongue-and-groove system to create larger sampling areas.
Glass Suction Plates
Glass suction plates are manufactured from sintered borosilicate glass without additives or bonding materials. Their low specific surface area and low sorption capacity make them particularly suitable for organic solutes and applications such as nitrate and leachate monitoring.
Key Features
Area-based soil solution extraction
Defined sampling area for solute-flux investigations
Suitable for field studies and lysimeters
Plastic and borosilicate glass options
High bubble point
Large sampling area compared with conventional suction cups
Suitable for long-term soil water monitoring
Multiple plates can be used to increase monitored area
Material selection according to target analytes
Suitable for nutrient, contaminant and leaching studies
The distinction between the two materials is important: plastic plates are the preferred option for heavy metals and phosphate, whereas glass is generally preferable for organic solutes. Both are suitable for nitrate, chloride and bromide.
Specification | Plastic Suction Plate | Glass Suction Plate |
|---|---|---|
Application | Area-related soil solution extraction | Area-related soil solution extraction |
Typical analytes | Heavy metals, metalloids, phosphate & inorganic solutes | Organic solutes, nitrate & leachate monitoring |
Filter material | Polyamide membrane | Borosilicate glass |
Frame / construction | Plastic | Plastic frame |
Pore size | 0.45 µm | Approx. 1 µm |
Plate dimensions | 250 × 250 mm | 80 mm diameter |
Sampling area | 625 cm² | 50 cm² |
Bubble point | ≥1,000 hPa | High bubble point |
Output volume | Approx. 1,000 mL/min at water saturation and 500 hPa suction | Not specified |
Tube material | Polyethylene or polyamide | PTFE; V4A stainless steel available on request |
Standard tube length | 1 m | 1 m |
Alternative tube lengths | Available on request | Available on request |
Tube dimensions (OD/ID) | 6/4 mm or 4/2 mm | 3/1.5 mm |
Expandable sampling area | Yes – tongue & groove connection | No |
Typical installation | Field studies & lysimeters | Field studies & lysimeters |
The plastic plate has a substantially larger 250 × 250 mm sampling surface and can be joined using its tongue-and-groove system to create larger sampling areas. ecoTech specifies a 0.45 µm membrane and approximately 1,000 mL/min output at saturation under 500 hPa suction.
The glass plate uses sintered borosilicate glass without additives or bonding materials. Its low sorption capacity makes it particularly suitable where organic solutes are of interest.