Open data · Laboratory analysis
Measured chloride, product by product
This dataset publishes the chloride content of the 25 references in the Ecoganic catalogue, measured by ion chromatography to UNE-EN 10304-1 at an ENAC-accredited laboratory. Eight measure below the limit of detection, ten have a measured value, and seven have not been tested yet. The scope is chloride: this dataset covers no other parameter. Provisional results, single batch and single sample.
Provisional results. They come from a single batch and a single sample, and the reports are marked provisional. Method: Cromatografía iónica UNE-EN 10304-1, laboratorio acreditado ENAC. Unit: % p/p sobre muestra original. Limit of detection: 0,05 % p/p.
Below the limit of detection (8)
These are the only references in the catalogue that may be described as chloride-free, and only because a measurement backs it.
| Reference | NPK | Chloride (Cl) | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| BOOST UNIVERSAL | 0-0-1 | < 0,05 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
| BOOST UNIVERSAL SALINITY | — | < 0,05 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
| BOROPLUS | — | < 0,05 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
| CALCIUM 40 | 0-0-0+Ca | < 0,05 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
| COBREPLUS | — | < 0,05 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
| PHOSMAX 20 | 0-20-0 | < 0,05 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
| UNIVERSAL POWER | 0-0-1 | < 0,05 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
| ZINCFORCE 40 | — | < 0,05 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
With measured chloride (10)
Highest to lowest. None of these may be described as chloride-free, regardless of what any datasheet says.
| Reference | NPK | Chloride (Cl) | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| FULVEX 50S | 3.82-0-12 | 5,62 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
| NITROTECH 16 | 16-0-0 | 3,37 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
| K-FLOW 20 | 0-0-20 | 3,23 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
| PK-FLOW 20 | 0-20-20 | 2,74 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
| NITROTECH 10 | 10-0-0 | 2,32 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
| BALANCE 9-4-4 Polvo Soluble | 9-4-4 | 1,40 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
| BALANCE 6-3-18 | 6-3-18 | 0,941 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
| BALANCE 7-7-7 | 7-7-7 | 0,774 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
| MICRO PLUS 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | 0,183 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
| IRONPLUS | — | 0,0533 | % p/p sobre muestra original |
Not yet tested (7)
For these seven, it can be stated neither that they contain chloride nor that they do not. They are published anyway: a dataset that hid its gaps would be useless for deciding.
| Reference | NPK | Chloride (Cl) | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| BALANCE 3-3-10 Líquido Soluble | 3-3-10 | not tested | — |
| BALANCE 5-5-5 Líquido Soluble | 5-5-5 | not tested | — |
| NITROTECH 2.5 | 2.5-0-0 | not tested | — |
| NITROTECH 8 | 8-0-0 | not tested | — |
| NZN ENDOPLASMA ICE | — | not tested | — |
| PHOSMAX 20 Suspensión Líquida | — | not tested | — |
| TERRA HUMID LIQUID | 0-0-0 | not tested | — |
Two things commonly assumed, and both wrong
Organic certification does not imply chloride-free
Certification covers the origin of the raw materials and the process, not chloride content. This very catalogue contains certified references with measured chloride.
A datasheet saying «chloride-free» does not imply it either
Three supplier datasheets in this catalogue stated it. The measurements were 3.37 %, 3.23 % and 2.32 %. We publish the measurement, not the declaration.
What the number means in the field
A percentage on the drum says little. What matters is how much chloride enters per unit of the nutrient you actually wanted to apply.
| Potassium source | % Cl | kg Cl / kg K₂O |
|---|---|---|
| Cloruro potásico (KCl) | ~46 | ~0,77 |
| Sulfato potásico (K₂SO₄) | 0 | 0 |
| K-FLOW 20 | 3,23 | ~0,16 |
K-FLOW 20 supplies roughly five times less chloride than potassium chloride per unit of K₂O. It is not potassium chloride, and that difference is real. But it is not chloride-free either: potassium sulphate supplies none, so on chloride alone the sulphate beats both.
What evidence there is that supplying less chloride shows up
A strawberry trial under saline irrigation, run by Holden Research and Consulting in Camarillo (California) in 2014-15, with a randomised complete block design and cv. Portola, measured leaf chloride as well as yield: it went from 1.23 % to 1.11 % on dry matter, and sodium from 0.77 % to 0.73 %.
It is a strawberry trial and nothing more: what it documents is the mechanism — less chloride supplied, less chloride accumulated in the leaf under saline irrigation — not a result transferable to another crop.
See the full trialFAQ
Does organic certification mean a fertilizer is chloride-free?+
No. They are independent. Certification covers the origin of the raw materials and the process, not chloride content. This very catalogue contains certified references with measured chloride up to 5.62 %.
If the supplier datasheet says «chloride-free», can I rely on it?+
Not necessarily. Three datasheets in this catalogue stated it and the measurements were 3.37 %, 3.23 % and 2.32 %. That is why we publish the measurement rather than the declaration.
How much chloride does potassium chloride carry versus K-FLOW 20?+
Potassium chloride is roughly 46 % chlorine, about 0.77 kg Cl per kg of K₂O supplied. K-FLOW 20, at a measured 3.23 %, supplies around 0.16 kg Cl per kg K₂O: about five times less. That said, potassium sulphate carries no chloride at all, so on chloride alone the sulphate beats both.
What does «< 0.05 %» mean?+
That the test did not detect chloride above the method's limit of detection, 0.05 % w/w. It is not exactly zero: it is «below what this method can see».