Abstract
An in situ experiment was conducted on a newly designed gypsum bed in a water course to ascertain the dissolution of gypsum in relation to water flow velocities, gypsum fragment sizes and water quality. A decrease in flow velocity increased gypsum dissolution for all fragment sizes. At a given flow velocity, dissolution of gypsum increased with decrease in fragment size. The presence of Ca 2+ or SO 2− 4 in irrigation water suppressed the dissolution of gypsum, whereas an increase in electrolyte concentration of irrigation water free from common ions enhanced it. The residual sodium carbonate (RSC) waters containing HCO − 3 did not decrease gypsum dissolution due to a CaCO 3 coating on the gypsum fragments. Empirical factors were obtained to calculate the effect of electrolyte concentration and RSC on gypsum dissolution. There was good agreement between the experimental and the calculated bed heights for different gypsum fragment sizes and water flow velocities.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
