Modeling atrazine transport in soil columns with HYDRUS-1D

Both physical and chemical processes affect the fate and transport of herbicides. It is useful to simulate these processes with computer programs to predict solute movement. Simulations were run with HYDRUS- 1 D to identify the sorption and degradation parameters of atrazine through calibration from the breakthrough curves （BTCs）. Data from undisturbed and disturbed soil column experiments were compared and analyzed using the dual-porosity model. The study results show that the values of dispersivity are slightly lower in disturbed columns, suggesting that the more heterogeneous the structure is, the higher the dispersivity. Sorption parameters also show slight variability, which is attributed to the differences in soil properties, experimental conditions and methods, or other ecological factors. For both of the columns, the degradation rates were similar. Potassium bromide was used as a conservative non-reactive tracer to characterize the water movement in columns. Atrazine BTCs exhibited significant tailing and asymmetry, indicating non-equilibrium sorption during solute transport. The dual-porosity model was verified to best fit the BTCs of the column experiments. Greater or lesser concentration of atrazine spreading to the bottom of the columns indicated risk of groundwater contamination. Overall, HYDRUS-1D successfully simulated the atrazine transport in soil columns.

Studies on parallel seismic testing for integrity of cemented soil columns

The principle and process of parallel seismic (PS) testing for the integrity testing of cemented soil columns are in- troduced in this paper. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element model (FEM) for the pile-soil system is established for impulse responses. Under saturated soil or unsaturated soil condition, several vibrating velocity-time histories at different depths in parallel hole are obtained based on the numerical simulation. It shows that the length of the pile and the one-dimensional (1D) P-wave velocity in the pile can be determined easily from the features of the mentioned velocity-time histories. By examining the slopes of the first arrival time plotted versus depth or the depth where the amplitude of the first arrival significantly decreases, the length of the pile can be determined. The effects of the 3D P-wave propagation through the saturated soil and the defect of the cemented soil column on the velocity-time histories are also investigated.

A New Method for Determination of Adsorption and Desorption Coefficients of Pesticides with Soil Column Liquid Chromatography

The adsorption and desorption coefficients of atrazine, methiocarb and simazine on a sandy loam soil were measured in this study with soil column liquid chromatographic (SCLC) technique. The adsorption and desorption data of all the three pesticides followed Freundlich isotherms revealing the existence of hysteresis. In comparing with other methods, SCLC method showed some characteristics such as rapidity, online and accuracy.

A New Rapid Determination Method of Soil Organic Carbon Adsorption Coefficients of Pesticides with Soil Column Liquid Chromatography

Soil column liquid chromatography (SCLC) was developed to determine soil organic carbon adsorption coefficients (E-oc) for chemicals. The uptake by soil of pesticides from water can be conveniently calculated from the related breakthrough curves (BTC). The nine pesticides chosen for determination in this study are soluble ones, with their water solubility ranging from 62 mg/L to Z mg/L. In comparing with existing methods of K-oc, SCLC possesses rapid, online and accurate characteristics.

Impact of Soil Texture and Organic Matter Content on Methyl Isothiocyanate Volatilization from Soil Columns

Metam sodium （MS; sodium N-methyl dithiocarbamate） has emerged as a promising soil fumigant in the US to replace methyl bromide （MeBr）. Metam potassium （MK; potassium N-methyl dithiocarbamate） and MS break down into the volatile gas methyl isothiocyanate （MITC） to control soil borne pests. Many studies have focused on MS, but MK has not been studied as thoroughly. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of increasing organic matter （OM） treatments and soil texture to minimize the off-gassing of MS and MK. Bench-scale soil column studies were performed to simulate organic matter treatments that may decrease the volatilization loss of MITC. Incorporation depth of OM simulated surface tillage （0-15 cm） practices. Soil was packed in steel columns and MS or MK was applied at a depth of 15 cm and MITC volatilization was measured using gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Volatilization of MITC behaved similarly for MS and MK with MITC movement impacted by soil texture. MITC volatilization was lower from a sandy clay loam than a sandy soil. Surface incorporation of OM did not significantly decrease MITC volatilization. These results suggest that soil texture is the dominant factor reducing MITC off-gassing and prolonging the time needed to control soil borne pests.

Indoor experiment and numerical simulation study of ammonia-nitrogen migration rules in soil column

The riverbank soil is a natural purifying agent for the polluted river water(Riverbank filtration, RBF). This is of great importance to groundwater safety along the riverbank. This paper examines the migration and transformation rules of ammonia-nitrogen in three typical types of sand soil using the indoor leaching experiment of soil column, and then makes comparison with the indoor experiment results in combination with the numerical simulation method. The experiment process shows that the change in ammonia-nitrogen concentration goes through three stages including "removal-water saturation-saturation". As the contents of clay particles in soil sample increase, the removal of ammonia-nitrogen from soil sample will take more time and gain higher ratio. During the removal period, the removal ratio of Column 1, Column 2 and Column 3 averages 68.8%(1-12 d), 74.6%(1-22 d) and 91.1%(1-26 d). The ammonia-nitrogen removal ratio shows no noticeable change as the depth of soil columns varies. But it is found that the ammonia-nitrogen removal ratio is the least of the whole experiment when the soil columns are at the depth of 15 cm. It can be preliminary inferred that the natural purifying performance of soil along the river for ammonia-nitrogen in river water mainly depends on the proportion of fine particles in soil. HYDRUS-1D model is used to simulate this experiment process, analyze the change of the bottom observation holes by time and depth in three columns(the tenth day), and make comparison with the experiment result. The coefficients of determination for fitting curves of Column 1, Column 2 and Column 3 are 0.953, 0.909, 0.882 and 0.955, 0.740, 0.980 separately. Besides, this paper examines the contribution of absorption, mineralization and nitrification in the simulation process. In the early removal stage, mineralization plays a dominant role and the maximum contribution rate of mineralization is 99%. As time goes by, absorption starts to function and gradually assumes a dominant position. In the middle and late removal stage, nitrification in Column 1 and Column 2 makes more contribution than mineralization. So the experiment result of the ammonia-nitrogen concentration is 0.6% and 2.4% lower than that in effluent and the maximum contribution ratio of nitrification is -4.53% and -5.10% respectively when only the function of absorption is considered. The mineralization in Column 1 and Column 2 in the middle and late removal stage still plays a more important role than nitrification. So the experiment result is 1.4% higher than that in effluent and the maximum contribution ratio of nitrification is -2.51% when only the function of absorption is considered. Therefore, absorption, mineralization and nitrification make different contributions during different part of the stage. This means that the natural purifying performance of soil along the river for ammonia-nitrogen in river water not only depends on the proportion of fine particles in soil, but depends on the mineralization and nitrification environment. This can offer some insights into the protection and recovery of groundwater along the riverbank.

Boron and Zinc Transport Through Intact Columns of Calcareous Soils

Leaching of boron （B） and zinc （Zn） can be significant in some pedomorphic conditions, which can cause contamination of shallow groundwater and economic losses. Boron and Zn adsorption and transport was studied using 8.4 cm diameter × 28 cm long intact columns from two calcareous soil series with differing clay contents and vadose zone structures： Lyallpur soil series, clay loam （fine-silty, mixed, hyperthermic Ustalfic Haplargid）, and Sultanpur soil series, sandy loam （coarse-silty, mixed, hyperthermic Ustollic Camborthid）. The adsorption isotherms were developed by equilibrating soil with 0.01 tool L^-1 CaCl2 aqueous solution containing varying amounts of B and Zn and were fitted to the Langmuir equation. The B and Zn breakthrough curves were fitted to the two-domain convective-dispersive equation. At the end of the leaching experiment, 0.11 L 10 g L^-1 blue dye solution was also applied to each column to mark the flow paths. The Lyallpur soil columns had a slightly greater adsorption partition coefficient both for B and Zn than the Sultanpur soil columns. In the Lyallpur soil columns, B arrival was immediate but the peak concentration ratio （the concentration in solution at equilibrium/concentration applied） was lower than that in the Sultanpur soil columns. The breakthrough of B in the Sultanpur soil columns occurred after about 10 cm of cumulative drainage in both the columns; the rise in effluent concentration was fast and the peak concentration ratio was almost 1. Zinc leaching through the soil columns was very limited as only one column from the Lyallpur soil series showed Zn breakthrough in the effluent where the peak concentration ratio was only 0.05. This study demonstrates the effect of soil structure on B transport and has implications for the nutrient management in field soils.

Experimental study on geosynthetic-reinforced sand fill over marine clay with or without deep cement mixed soil columns under different loadings

Geosynthetics and deep cement mixed(DCM)soil columns have been widely used to improve soft soil grounds in many countries and regions.This paper presents an experimental study on a geosynthetic-reinforced sand fill over marine clay with or without DCM columns under different loadings.Two tests were conducted on the sand fill reinforced with fixed-end and free-end geosynthetics over marine clay under three-stage local loading to investigate the effects of the boundary conditions of geosynthetic reinforcement on reducing settlements.It is observed that the fixed-end geosynthetic sheet is more effective in reducing settlements than the free-end condition under identical local loading.Another test was conducted on the fixed-end geosynthetic-reinforced sand fill over the marine clay improved by DCM columns under single-stage uniform loading.The vertical stresses on the marine clay and on the DCM columns,as well as the tensile strains of the geosynthetic sheet in the overlying sand fill,were measured.The results revealed that the stress concentration ratio increases with an increase in consolidation settlements,and the maximum tensile strain of the geosynthetic sheet occurs near the edge rather than at the center of the top surface of the DCM columns.

Effects of gravel on the water absorption characteristics and hydraulic parameters of stony soil

The eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains in China are a typical mountainous region of soil and gravel,where gravel could affect the water movement process in the soil.This study focused on the effects of different gravel contents on the water absorption characteristics and hydraulic parameters of stony soil.The stony soil samples were collected from the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains in April 2023 and used as the experimental materials to conduct a one-dimensional horizontal soil column absorption experiment.Six experimental groups with gravel contents of 0%,10%,20%,30%,40%,and 50%were established to determine the saturated hydraulic conductivity(K_(s)),saturated water content(θ_(s)),initial water content(θ_(i)),and retention water content(θ_(r)),and explore the changes in the wetting front depth and cumulative absorption volume during the absorption experiment.The Philip model was used to fit the soil absorption process and determine the soil water absorption rate.Then the length of the characteristic wetting front depth,shape coefficient,empirical parameter,inverse intake suction and soil water suction were derived from the van Genuchten model.Finally,the hydraulic parameters mentioned above were used to fit the soil water characteristic curves,unsaturated hydraulic conductivity(K_(θ))and specific water capacity(C(h)).The results showed that the wetting front depth and cumulative absorption volume of each treatment gradually decreased with increasing gravel content.Compared with control check treatment with gravel content of 0%,soil water absorption rates in the treatments with gravel contents of 10%,20%,30%,40%,and 50%decreased by 11.47%,17.97%,25.24%,29.83%,and 42.45%,respectively.As the gravel content increased,inverse intake suction gradually increased,and shape coefficient,K_(s),θ_(s),andθ_(r)gradually decreased.For the same soil water content,soil water suction and K_(θ)gradually decreased with increasing gravel content.At the same soil water suction,C(h)decreased with increasing gravel content,and the water use efficiency worsened.Overall,the water holding capacity,hydraulic conductivity,and water use efficiency of stony soil in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains decreased with increasing gravel content.This study could provide data support for improving soil water use efficiency in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains and other similar rocky mountainous areas.

Liquefaction mitigation in silty soils using composite stone columns and dynamic compaction

The objective of this study is to develop an analytical methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of vibro stone column (S.C.) and dynamic compaction (D.C.) techniques supplemented with wick drains to densify and mitigate liquefaction in saturated sands and non-plastic silty soils. It includes the following: (i) develop numerical models to simulate and analyze soil densitication during S.C. installation and D.C. process, and (ii) identify parameters controlling post-improvement soil density in both cases, and (iii) develop design guidelines for densification of silty soils using the above techniques. An analytical procedure was developed and used to simulate soil response during S.C. and D.C. installations, and the results were compared with available case history data. Important construction design parameters and soil properties that affect the effectiveness of these techniques, and construction design choices suitable for sands and non-plastic silty soils were identified. The methodology is expected to advance the use of S.C. and D.C. in silty soils reducing the reliance on expensive field trials as a design tool. The ultimate outcome of this research will be design charts and design guidelines for using composite stone columns and composite dynamic compaction techniques in liquefaction mitigation of saturated silty soils.

Experimental Study of Fluorine Transport Rules in Unsaturated Stratified Soil

With the aid of soil column test models,the transport rules of fluorine contaminants in unsaturated stratified soils are discussed. Curves of F-concentrations at different times and sites in the unsaturated stratified soil were ob-tained under conditions of continuous injection of fluoride contaminants and water. Based on the analysis of the actual observation data,the values between computed results and observed data were compared. It is shown that the chemical properties of fluorine ions are active. The migration process of fluorine ions in soils is complex. Because of the effect of adsorption and desorption,the curve of the fluorine ion breakthrough curve is not symmetric. Its concentration peak value at each measuring point gradually decays. The tail of the breakthrough curve is long and the process of leaching and purifying using water requires considerable time. Along with the release of OHˉ in the process of fluorine absorp-tion,the pH value of the soil solution changed from neutral to alkalinity during the test process. The first part of the breakthrough curve fitted better than the second part. The main reason is that fluorine does not always exist in the form of fluorinions in groundwater. Given the long test time,fluorinions possibly react with other ions in the soil solution to form complex water-soluble fluorine compounds. Only the retardation factor and source-sink term have been considered in our numerical model,which may leads to errors of computed values. But as a whole the migration rules of fluorine ions are basically correct,which indicates that the established numerical model can be used to simulate the transport rules of fluorine contaminants in unsaturated stratified soils.

Law of Water Content Change in Subgrade Soil Under Action of Dry-Wet Cycle

Due to the influence of the groundwater level,the internal humidity of the subgrade changes and the stability of the subgrade is affected. The main purpose of this paper is to obtain a reliable model of subgrade soil water content variation under the action of dry-wet cycle through sensor readings. Thus,an indoor soil column model test system is designed,and the readings of the sensors are used to determine the changing law of moisture field in the subgrade soil. The sensor readings indicate that the water content gradually decreases along the height of the soil column,and the water in the upper part of the soil column continuously loses,while the water in the lower part migrates upward to supplement. With the increase of dry-wet cycle index,the water holding capacity of soil decreases,and the soil surface gradually cracks and tends to rupture.

Water infiltration and soil-water characteristics of compacted loess under applied vertical stress

Additional stress formed by postconstruction buildings in loess-filling areas affects water infiltration in soil and causes soil deformation.To investigate this effect,under constant water head,vertical infiltration tests on compacted loess with two initial dry densities for different applied vertical stresses were developed using vertical stresscontrollable one-dimensional soil columns.The timehistory curves of vertical deformation,wetting front depth,cumulative infiltration depth,volumetric water content(VWC)and suction were measured,and the soil-water characteristic curves(SWCCs)were determined.The results showed that:(1)the infiltration ability of the soil column weakens with increasing applied vertical stress and initial dry density;(2)vertical deformation increases rapidly at first and then tends to be stable slowly at the consolidation and wetting-induced deformation stage,and is positively correlated with applied vertical stress and is negatively correlated with initial dry density.The stability time of wetting-induced deformation and the corresponding wetting front depth increase with the increase of applied vertical stress,while they decrease obviously when initial dry density increases;(3)the influence of applied vertical stress on soilwater characteristics in soil columns with various initial dry densities is related to the deformation depth of soil column.The VG(Van Genuchten)model is suitable for fitting the SWCCs at different monitoring positions.A normalized SWCC model introducing the applied vertical stress was proposed for each initial dry density using the mathematical relationship between the fitting parameters and the applied vertical stress.

Migration and risks of potentially toxic elements from sewage sludge applied to acid forest soil

`The application of sewage sludge(SS)to forested lands may lead to the downward migration of potentially toxic elements(PTEs)through rainfall and thus pose risk to the subsoil and groundwater.Batch column experiments were conducted using leaching water equivalent to the rainfall amount in the study area over 3 years to investigate changes in concentrations of PTEs,including copper(Cu),zinc(Zn),lead(Pb),cadmium(Cd),and nickel(Ni)in the leachate from the acidic forest soil.Water quality index of leachate,potential ecological risk and human health risk in soil at different leaching stages were compared.Sewage sludge was applied at SS/soil mass ratios of 0:100(controls),15:85(T1),30:70(T2),45:55(T3),60:40(T4),and 75:25(T5).All treatments resulted in increased PTEs concentration in the upper 20 cm soil,T3-T5 increased potential ecological risk from"low"(control)to"moderate"or"considerable".During first year leaching,PTEs concentration increased with increasing SS/soil ratios,but the water quality index of T1-T3 was"excellent"or"good".Pb,Cu,Cd,and Ni in the 20-40 cm soil depth,and Zn in the 60-80 cm soil depth were also enriched,but potential ecological risk was"low".In subsequent leaching,PTEs concentration of leachate gradually returned to the background value and water quality index was"excellent".There were no significant changes in PTEs and ecological risk observed.During the monitoring process,the health risk caused by the migration of PTEs to the human body was always within the acceptable range.Overall,this study provides a reference for the management of risks from the application of SS on forestlands,i.e.,SS/soil ratios<45:55 is recommended on forestlands,and special attention should be given to early leaching risk.In addition,it also provides an important assessment method for the risk of PTEs leaching and migration in forested land application.

Effects of biochar-based fertilizers on nutrient leaching in a tobacco-planting soil

Biochar is a soil amendment for increasing soil quality and decreasing nutrient leaching. However, there is little information on the impact of biochar-based fertilizer(BF) on soil nutrient leaching in agricultural soils. We conducted a soil column leaching experiment to study the effects of BF on the leaching of total nitrogen(TN), total phosphorus, and total potassium(TK) in tobacco soils. The distribution characteristics of NH_4^+-N, available P, and available K in soil profiles were analyzed after the application of BF. Biochar was prepared by pyrolysis of fluecured tobacco stems. It was applied at four levels, 0%, 3%,9%, and 15%(w/w), respectively, to the compound fertilizer. Compared with the control, the leaching loss of soil TN decreased by 8.36%, 6.72%, and 6.45%, and the loss of soil TK decreased by 9.18%, 9.31% and 11.82% in the 3%,9%, and 15% BF treatments, respectively. However, BF had no significant effect on the P leaching due to the low movement of P in the soil profile. In addition, the BF addition increased the immobilization of NH_4^+-N, available P, and available K in the soil profile. These results indicate that addition of BF to a tobacco-planting soil reduced nutrient leaching, and suggest that BF could be an effective method of applying biochar to agriculture fields.

Dynamic shear modulus of undisturbed soil under different consolidation ratios and its effects on surface ground motion

The dynamic shear modulus for three types of undisturbed soil under different consolidation ratios is presented by using the resonant column test method. Its effects on surface ground motion is illustrated by calculation. The test results indicate that the power function is a suitable form for describing the relationship between the ratio of the maximum dynamic shear modulus due to anisotropic and isotropic consolidations and the increment of the consolidation ratio. When compared to sand, the increment of the maximum dynamic shear modulus for undisturbed soil due to anisotropic consolidation is much larger. Using a one-dimensional equivalent linearization method, the earthquake influence factor and the characteristic period of the surface acceleration are calculated for two soil layers subjected to several typical earthquake waves. The calculated results show that the difference in nonlinear properties due to different consolidation ratios is generally not very notable, but the degree of its influence on the surface acceleration spectrum is remarkable for the occurrence of strong earthquakes. When compared to isotropic consolidation, the consideration of actual anisotropic consolidation causes the characteristic period to decrease and the earthquake influence factor to increase.

Hydro-mechanical response with respect to the air ventilation for water filtration in homogeneous soil

When water penetrates into soil,interstitial air can become trapped by the infiltrating water.Neglecting the effect of air ventilation could cause deviations in the predicted pore water pressure and the associated effective stress.This study aims at the effect of air ventilation on the coupled hydro-mechanical responses in homogeneous soil during infiltration.A schematic concept of infiltration conditions(open-and closed-valve)in homogeneous soil is proposed for investigating their impacts on the pore water pressure and effective stress.Experiments of vertical soil column filled with Ottawa sand(ASTM C77820/30)were designed for two types of air ventilation(namely,open and closed infiltration).The evolution of pore water pressure at the cylinder bottom was recorded,and served as a benchmark problem for evaluating the coupled hydro-mechanical response.Coding with the commercial software,GeoStudio,was employed for the dynamic behaviors of pore-water and-air pressures as well as the evolving effective stress.It was found in both the experiments and numerical investigations that the infiltration condition plays a crucial role for the ascending rate of pore water pressure as well as the associated effective stress.These results illustrate the inevitable impacts of the air ventilation conditions on the mechanical properties of the soil during infiltration.

Numerical investigation of seismic performance of high modulus columns under earthquake loading

This paper presents the result of two-dimensional fi nite element modeling studies in order to investigate the seismic behavior of high modulus columns in liquefi able soil. Particular attention was paid to the shear stress reduction mechanism of the high modulus columns and the shear strain distribution between soil and columns during earthquake motion. Numerical analyses were performed using a nonlinear elasto-plastic model in Plaxis 2016. The reliability of the numerical simulations was verifi ed through the results of a centrifuge test model designed to investigate the contribution of high modulus columns in liquefaction mitigation. The capability of numerical simulations was assessed primarily through comparison of predicted acceleration-time histories, pore water pressures, and displacements with the measured counterparts. The results of the numerical analysis showed that the presence of the columns did not reduce seismic shear stresses in the soil when compared to the unimproved soil condition and pure shear behavior between soil and column did not develop as expected in the current design methodology.