Editorial: Saline Water Evaporation from Porous Media

Abstract

Saline water evaporation from porous media is a part of our daily experiences, and it is central to many environmental and engineering applications ranging from soil salinization affecting hydrological processes, vegetation, CO2 sequestration to the drying of building materials, pastes and preservation of historical monuments. Saline water evaporation is influenced by transport properties of porous media, properties of the evaporating solution, external conditions (wind, radiation, ambient temperature and relative humidity) and precipitation of salt crystals. During evaporation, solute is transported, generally via capillary-induced liquid flow, from a wet zone to the evaporation surface resulting in increasing solute concentration close to the vaporization interface. At the same time, diffusion tends to spread the salt homogenously through the entire space. This competition influences the solute distribution during the evaporation process. When salt concentration substantially exceeds the solubility limit, crystals will precipitate by first nucleating and then growing. The structure and patterns of the precipitated salt may evolve as evaporation process proceeds. These dynamic interactions present a challenge to the prediction of saline water evaporation from porous media and interplay among mass and energy exchange, as well as mechanical and other consequences of salt deposition.