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Ultrasonic Dispersion of Soil Aggregates Stabilized by Polyvinyl Alcohol and T403‐Glyoxal Polymers
Author(s) -
Moen D. E.,
Richardson J. L.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1984.03615995004800030031x
Subject(s) - polyvinyl alcohol , loam , dispersion (optics) , soil water , polymer , materials science , aggregate (composite) , ultrasonic sensor , composite material , chemistry , soil science , environmental science , physics , acoustics , optics
Aggregate and structural analysis of soils treated with polymeric soil conditioners has proved to be a problem and prompted this study utilizing an ultrasonic dispersion method. Two Red River Valley soils, a Glyndon loam and a Fargo silty clay were tested along with a mine spoil material from near Zap, North Dakota. The Fargo and Glyndon soils were treated in the laboratory with T403‐glyoxal, a newly developed two‐phased amine‐aldehyde polymer, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The dispersion created by an ultrasonic power input of 37.5 W for 30 to 400 s was determined by pipette analysis. The percent clay remaining undispersed decreased exponentially with increased time of exposure to ultrasound. Stability of sample aggregates was determined by the initial dispersion value and strength of aggregates by the rate of dispersion (slope). Tests using a sodium‐affected minespoil material resulted in low values for both stability on wetting and aggregate strength thus supporting the methods used. Polymer treatments resulted in 50% increases in stability on wetting and large increases in aggregate strength. Samples treated with 1% PVA or 5% T403‐glyoxal were made effectively coarser because of the extreme strength of microaggregates. Polyvinyl alcohol was much more effective per unit weight than T403‐glyoxal, but the latter was effective in creating very strong microaggregates (<0.25 mm), which effectively reduced plasticity of the soils.