Capillary rise simulation of saline waters of different concentrations in sandy soils

Abstract

Soil salinity causes corrosion of engineering structures worldwide. The main cause of soil salinization is capillary rise of saline groundwater. Soil salinity can be mitigated if the capillary rise of saline groundwater in soils is understood. The objective of this paper is to present experimental results of the capillary rise rates of water with different salt concentrations in three sandy soils. Each sample was comprised of a soil column 300-mm height and 50-mm in diameter steeped in a 25 mm deep saline water pool for a time period to allow for capillary action to develop. The salinity varied from fresh water, EC = 2 dS/m, to medium salinity (50, 100, and 150 dS/m), and to high salinity water (200 dS/m). It was found that the highest rate of capillary rise occurred in medium salinity waters, while the lowest was in fresh water. Very saline water had a lower rate of capillary rise than medium salinity, but higher than for fresh water.