Approaching a Standardized Method for the Hot-Water Extraction of Peat Material to Determine Labile SOM in Organic Soils

Peatland soils are the most effective and important long-term terrestrial carbon (C) storages. To estimate potential C loss, a valid characterization of soil decomposability, in particular the labile fraction, is of great interest. One of the most labile fractions is hot-water-extractable organic matter (HWOM), often measured as hot-water-extractable carbon (Chwe) and nitrogen (Nhwe). Various studies describe different extraction procedures for mineral soils. Because of methodical differences, it is difficult to compare extracted HWOM amounts directly to each other. For peatland soils, few studies exist. The aim of the present study is the development of a standardized method for the hot-water extraction of peat materials. Therefore, we extracted HWOM in various replicates from different peats on the basis of a standardized extraction method for mineral soils (1 h extraction at 100 °C). We tested how differences in soil/water ratios, extract treatment (filtering vs. not filtering), and sample pretreatment (freeze drying vs. air drying) influence HWOM amounts. The results clearly illustrated the influence of changing soil/water ratios on HWOM amounts. Mean Chwe concentrations ranged between 8 and 34 g kg−1 whereas Nhwe ranged between 0.2 and 2.6 g kg−1. We recommend the extraction under soil/water ratios of 1/800 to provide sufficient volume of solvent for Chwe. If relative differences for Nhwe amounts are greater than 15 percent, samples should be extracted again under soil/water ratios greater than 1/300 to avoid analytical errors due to unintended dilution effects. Filtering of centrifuged and decanted extracts before analysis is not necessary. Peat material should be either air dried or freeze dried before extraction.