Landau–Deryagin law and hydration energy of soils of different genesis

Abstract

Linear regression equations between the logarithm of the total soil moisture potential and soil moisture content in the hygroscopic moisture range (Landau–Deryagin law) were derived for typical soils from different natural zones of European Russia. From these equations, a compact algorithm was developed for calculating the hydration energy of soils, which increases from 1280 to 10600 J/kg in the following soil series: heavy loamy soddy podzolic soil–heavy loamy gray forest soil–medium loamy light chestnut soil–heavy loamy brown semidesert soil–light clayey solonchak–light clayey chernozem–medium clayey krasnozem. Relationships were revealed between the hydration energy of soils, the specific surface of soils, the content of physical clay in soils, and the concentration of hydrated exchangeably adsorbed ions.