In this laboratory, the soil samples are pre-spread, weighed and their grain size determined. The particle size composition can be determined by sieving. For this purpose, sieves with increasing mesh sizes are placed one above the other on a vibrating screening machine, starting with the lower collecting plate for the finest particles. The sieves are set in vertical oscillation by an electromagnetic drive. This results in an even distribution of the sieved material over the meshes. Mass …

Soil samples collected in the study area are placed in a plastic bag on site, sealed and labelled with a unique sample label. After sample storage, some pre-treatments have to be carried out before the physico-chemical investigation. Pre-treatment includes sample splitting, drying, sieving (< 2 mm for fine soil, see Soil Laboratory - Particle Size Analysis) and digestion. The sample is divided by a riffle divider or by quartering to the desired quantity. The samples are either dried in air …