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Effect of tallow alcohol added to soil on the tension, flow, and evaporation of soil water
Author(s) -
Kolp Don G.,
Krause Frank P.,
Lange Willy
Publication year - 1966
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr002i002p00213
Subject(s) - soil water , infiltration (hvac) , evaporation , water content , surface tension , environmental science , soil science , materials science , geotechnical engineering , geology , composite material , physics , thermodynamics , quantum mechanics
Tallow alcohol (TA) affects the properties of water in soil by forming compressed monolayer films on the water‐filled pores of the soil. Besides directly effecting a small evaporation reduction, the films lower the soil‐water tension. This tension‐lowering leads to several other effects, including reduction of the flow rate of water through uniform soils and, in layered soils, lowering of the soil‐water concentration in the TA‐containing layer. The last effect, which leads to self‐mulching, accounts for most of the substantial evaporation reduction from soils with TA in the surface layer. This effect also aids the infiltration of water into such soils. The full effects of TA are realized only when it is solvent‐dispersed; with powdered TA only partial effects are obtained. Attention is directed to the possible effects on the soil‐fatty alcohol‐water system of soil micro‐organisms growing on fatty alcohol. (Key words: Evaporation; infiltration; soil moisture; water.)