Transport of Nitrates through Clay Using Electrokinetics

Abstract

In this paper, the results of laboratory experiments to investigate the feasibility of using electrokinetics to transport nitrates (a nutrient) through a low-permeability soil are presented. Tests were conducted using a kaolinite soil consolidated from a slurry under a vertical stress of 127 kPa. Sodium nitrate was introduced in a chamber in front of a graphite electrode that becomes the cathode in the electrokinetic process. A hydraulic head was used to reduce the osmotic pressures. The results of the tests reveal that, under laboratory conditions, nitrates can be transported through low-permeability soils using electrokinetics.