Acid Buffering a High pH Soil for Zinc Diffusion
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 123, Issue 3
Abstract
The effective use of an aqueous buffer solution of acetic acid and sodium acetate (1.0 M HOAc/ 1.4 M NaOAc, pH = 4.8) to lower the pH of a sand-attapulgite clay mixture from 9.4 to 4.8 is demonstrated. Soil buffering is necessary to prevent precipitation of Zn2+ as Zn(OH)2(s) during zinc diffusion tests. The choice of the acetic acid/sodium acetate buffer solution is based on results of batch-type tests and permeation tests performed to evaluate the soil-mixture pH lowering and buffering capacity of dilute solutions of HNO3 (a strong acid), 0.057 M HOAc (a weak acid), potassium hydrogen phthalate (a pH ∼ 4 buffer), and the 1.0 M HOAc/1.4 M NaOAc buffer solution. Measured values of effective diffusion coefficients D* for zinc on unconfined, compacted test specimens of the buffered soil mixture ranged from 0.54 × 10−6 cm2/s to 6.5 × 10−6 cm2/s. This range of D*-values is within the range of D*-values reported for most reactive inorganic solutes in saturated clay soils and at the lower end of the range of D*-values for zinc in saturated clay soils.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 123 • Issue 3 • March 1997
Pages: 260 - 271
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: Mar 1, 1997
Published in print: Mar 1997
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