Effect of the addition of polielectrolyte on aqueous phase of acid sulfate soils

Abstract

The use of polymers in soils have been mainly focused in the increasing of water storage capacity and efficient water using, increasing of infiltration rate, reduction of irrigation frequency, erosion control, decreasing of lost by runoff and increase its usefulness for planting crops. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of polyelectrolyte (PEL) addition on chemical composition of soil aqueous phase of acid sulfate soils (ASS). For that, different soil samples were collected and incubated with aqueous polymer solutions: poly(acrilic acid) (PAA), poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and poly(sodium styrenesulfonate) (PSSNa). Effect of PEL was seen to be strongly dependent on chemical nature of functional groups on polymer chains. In the case of PSSNa and PAA, effect of polymer concentration was characterized by the immobilization of ions; whereas for PVP a solubilization effect was observed. Results indicate that interaction between chemical species from aqueous phase and polymer functional groups is an important factor that should be considered. In addition, effect of polymers is influenced by pH and organic matter contents.

Keywords

• soil solution
• water-soluble polymer
• acid sulfate soils