Rapid determination of chlorine in fertilizers by pressed pellet-wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

Abstract The determination of chlorine (Cl) in fertilizers is crucial for plant growth and soil health. Traditional methods such as chemical titration and ion chromatography have limitations including complex sample preparation, time consumption, and high costs. This study proposes a rapid determination method using pressed pellet-wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (WDXRF). By optimizing sample preparation conditions (including sample particle size, pressure, and holding time), the optimal measurement time was determined to be 50 s. The method has a detection range of 0.0055–46.51%, with a detection limit of 0.0018%. Sample recovery rates ranged from 90 to 103%. Due to the lack of standard reference materials for fertilizers, the accuracy of the method was verified by spiking solid samples. Compared with traditional methods, this method offers advantages such as high precision, high accuracy, low chemical reagent consumption, and rapid determination, making it suitable for routine analysis of chlorine in fertilizers.