Determination of Cation Exchange Capacity from Soil Water Retention Curve
Publication: Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 143, Issue 6
Abstract
Cation exchange capacity (CEC) has a significant influence on the physical and chemical behavior of soil. Quantification of the CEC is an essential yet challenging task. A new methodology for the determination of the CECs of soils by using the soil water retention curve (SWRC) in the extremely high suction range is presented. The methodology is based on a theoretical SWRC model that explicitly considers the contribution of the cation hydration on the matric potential. For a homoionic soil, the CEC governs the relationship among the type of exchangeable cations, matric potential, and the corresponding equilibrated soil water. Thus, the CECs of homoionic soils can be deduced from their SWRCs. For a natural soil with a multiple cation species, the CEC of bulk soil can be determined from the SWRC of the -exchanged form of the soil. A suite of materials ranging from nonexpansive to expansive soils is used to demonstrate the validity of the proposed methodology. The CECs of these soils are also measured independently by using the ammonium acetate method for comparison purposes. The close match between the independently measured and the SWRC-based CEC values confirms the validity and illustrates the potential promises of the SWRC-based methodology in determining the CEC of soils.
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Acknowledgments
This research is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF CMMI 1233063).
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Published In
Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 143 • Issue 6 • June 2017
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©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Feb 22, 2016
Accepted: Nov 1, 2016
Published online: Feb 15, 2017
Published in print: Jun 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Jul 15, 2017
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