Post on 29-Jun-2020
Chemistry of Sodium-Affected Soils
Dr. Tom DeSutter and Yangbo ‘Kathy’ He
Associate Professor of Soil Science Program Leader for Soil Science North Dakota State University
2nd Annual Reclamation Conference
25 February 2014
DeSutter et al, 2014 unpublished data
0.000
0.100
0.200
0.300
0.400
0.500
0.600
0.700
0.800
8/21/12 12:00 AM 8/22/12 12:00 AM 8/23/12 12:00 AM 8/24/12 12:00 AM 8/25/12 12:00 AM
flux
(cm
/h)
Flux (cm/h)
Start Brine
Stop Brine
DeSutter et al, 2014 unpublished data
Why does this happen?
• Na inflicts two different possibilities: – Dispersion – Internal swelling
• Both of these are a function of the concentration of Na and the EC of the soil solution
Photo by Tom DeSutter
Theory of dispersion
• Guoy-Chapman theory
( )IZ
k10
1 10042.3 −− =
At low EC and monovalent cations, thickness of double layer is large, Double layers of adjacent particles will overlap, causing electrostatic repulsion.
Effect of ionic strength (I)
Effect of ion charge (Z)
Ca Na
(Ess
ingt
on, 2
004)
2MgCa
NaSAR22e ++
+
+=
CECNaESP 100*=
Lab data of dispersion
EC= 0.5, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 16 dS/m
Montmorillonite SAR =24
SAR=24R
elat
ive
%of
dis
pers
ed c
lay
(%)
0
20
40
60
80 SAR=12
0
20
40
60
80
SAR=5
EC (dS m-1)0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
0
20
40
60
80 SAR=1
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 160
20
40
60
80
Montmorillonite
Clay dispersion decreases with a decrease in SAR and an increase in EC
He, Y
., T.
DeS
utte
r, an
d D.
Cla
y. 2
013.
Dis
pers
ion
of p
ure
clay
min
eral
s as i
nflu
ence
d by
Ca
to M
g ra
tios,
SAR
and
EC.
Soi
l Sci
. Soc
. Am
. J. 7
7:20
14-2
019.
Lab data of dispersion
SAR= 24 Montmorillonite
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Dis
per
sed
cla
y co
nce
ntr
atio
n (
g/L
)
0
5
10
15
20SAR=24 Illite
EC (dS/m)0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
0
5
10
15
20SAR=24 Kaolinite
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 180
5
10
15
20
He, Y., T. DeSutter, and D. Clay. 2013. Dispersion of pure clay minerals as influenced by Ca to Mg ratios, SAR and EC. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 77:2014-2019.
Lab data of dispersion • Dispersion is as a function of both amount of Na
and EC • Dispersion increase with SAR and decrease with
increase of EC for 2:1 type clays (Mont. & Illite)
• Adverse effects of dispersion can be alleviated by increasing the solution EC (but plants may suffer)
EC0 1 2 3 4 5 6
SAR
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Dispersion
Swelling theory • Na+ has little interruption on water net in interlayer, the
water is retained and fluidity is reduced • Ca2+ disrupts water net allowing water to more mobile,
reduces overall swelling
Na+ Na+ Na+ Na+ Na+ H2O
H2O H2O H2O
H2O H2O
Ca2+ Ca2+
Interlayer space H2O enter in and cations hydrated
(Grim, 1968)
Repulsion > attraction force, interlayer space increase, clay swell
Wyndmere CIG Field SoilSAR = 14
EC (dS/m; mmhos/cm)0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
% W
ater
(1/3
bar
)
16
18
20
22
24
26
28
30
32
Reference
He et al, 2014 unpublished data
Adverse effects on water movement
Na and EC
Control swelling and dispersion
Reduced soil pores and clogged soil pores by clay particles
Slow down water movement (Ksat)
Adverse effects on water movement • Ksat (Saturated hydraulic conductivity) with water
Exline soil series
SAR7 14 24 28H
ydra
ulic
con
duct
ivity
(cm
/h)
0.000
0.005
0.010
0.015
0.020
0.025
He et al, 2014 unpublished data
Now what? • Steps to remediate/mitigate a Na-affected soil
– Need Ca amendment (other cations may work too) – Need water for leaching – Need drainage to get Na out of the system
When Ca and EC are provided, water movement improves
No treatment
High Ca and EC
SAR7 14 24 28H
ydra
ulic
con
duct
ivity
(cm
/h)
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30Ksat Gypsum solution Ksat FGDG (10 tons/acre)
He et al, 2014 unpublished data
0.000
0.100
0.200
0.300
0.400
0.500
0.600
0.700
0.800
8/21/12 12:00 AM 8/22/12 12:00 AM 8/23/12 12:00 AM 8/24/12 12:00 AM 8/25/12 12:00 AM
flux
(cm
/h)
Flux (cm/h)
Start Brine
Stop Brine
DeSutter et al, 2014 unpublished data
Summary • Swelling and dispersion are the major
mechanisms controlling soil structure and H2O movement
• Closely related with soil Na and solution EC • SAR between 0-8 should be acceptable for
H2O movement • If SAR >8, EC will be need to be ≥2
– This may only hold true for SAR values less than 15
– The higher the SAR the higher the solution EC values need to be
Acknowledgements
• ND Water Resources Research Institute • USDA-NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant
– Reducing sodification in high risk northern Great Plains soils
Chemistry of Sodium-Affected Soils
Dr. Tom DeSutter
Associate Professor of Soil Science Program Leader for Soil Science North Dakota State University
2nd Annual Reclamation Conference
25 February 2014
Summary
• Gypsum (tons/acre-foot) required for SAR to be reduced to 8
Summary
CEC\SAR 13 18 30
Quantity of gypsum
Quantity of gypsum
Quantity of gypsum
10 0.9 1.7 3.5
20 1.7 3.4 6.9
30 2.5 5.1 10.2
CEC
SAR