Soil moisture adsorption capacity and specific surface area in relation to water vapor pressure in arid and tropical soils

Yıl 2019, Cilt: 8 Sayı: 4, 289 - 297, 01.10.2019

Abdelmonem Mohamed Amer

https://doi.org/10.18393/ejss.580889

Cited By: 1

Öz

This
study is devoted to predict water vapour adsorption and hydro-physical
properties of arid soils in middle Nile Delta (Farm of the Faculty of
Agriculture, Shebin El-Kom, Egypt) and of tropical soils (Felix
and
INIAP Farms) in
Quevedo zone, Los Rios, Ecuador. The vapour pressure and isothermal adsorption
of water vapour is used to predict soil moisture adsorption capacity (Wa)
and the specific surface area. To achieve these objectives, four soil profiles at
different depths were
investigated to
indicate the status of hydro-physical properties of the studied area.  The 1^st & 2^nd
profiles are sandy loam (Felix Farm)
and clay loam soils (Shebin El-Kom Farm),
and 3^rd & 4^th are clay soils (INIAP Farm). Data of soil-water adsorption (W%) at different relative vapor pressures
P/Po
are obtained for the studied soil profiles, where the W% values increased with
increasing P/Po from 1.87% to 10.01% in the 1^st and 2^nd
sandy loam and clay loam soil profiles, and reached 27.44% in the 4^th
clay soil profile. The highest values of water adsorption capacity (Wa)
were observed in the clay depths of 60 – 90 cm and 90 – 120 cm (INIAP-soil
profiles) while the lowest values were in the subsurface depth (30 – 60 cm) of
soil profiles 1^st and 2^nd. The other hygro-physical
properties such as adsorbed layers and maximum hygroscopic water were obtained.
The specific surface area (S) in sandy loam 1^st&2^nd
soil profiles is ranged from 113m²/g to 187m²/g and
raised to 385m²/g and 553m²/g in the 3^rd &
4^th clay soil profiles. The corresponded values of
the external specific surface area (Se) ranged from 42m²/g to
98m²/g and 74 m²/g to 252 m²/g respectively.
Two equations were assumed (1) to predict P/Po at water adsorption capacity (Wa),
and (2) to apply Wa in prediction of soil moisture retention i.e., ѱ(W)
function at pF < 4.5.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Water adsorption capacity, vapor pressure isotherm, soil hydro-physical properties, specific surface area, arid and tropical soils

Kaynakça

• Agam, N., Berliner, P.R., 2004. Diurnal water content changes in the bare soil of a coastal desert. Journal of Hydrometeorology 5: 922–933.
• Amer, A.M., 1982. Effect of the overburden pressure on the capillary sorption potential of water in swelling soils. PhD Thesis, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomosonov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia. [in Russian].
• Amer, A.M., 1993. Surface area measurements as related to water vapour adsorption in arid soils of Egypt. Proceedings of the IV International Conference on Desert Development. 25-30 July, Mexico City, Mexico. pp. 619–627.
• Amer, A.M., 2003. Soil hydro-physics. First Part, Al-Dar Al-Arabia for Publishing Cairo, Egypt. 452p. [in Arabic].
• Amer, A.M., 2009. Moisture adsorption capacity and surface area as deduced from vapour pressure isotherms in relation to hygroscopic water of soils. Biologia 64(3): 516-521.
• Amer, A.M., 2014. Moisture dynamics and available water capacity in root zone as influenced by swelling pressure and water table in tropical soils. Final Report, submitted to SENESCYT, Prometeo Project, Ecuador.
• Amer, A.M., 2015. Vapor adsorption capacity and soil wetting. In: Wetting and wettability. Aliofkhazraei, M. (Ed.). IntechOpen, pp.1-14. Black, G.A., Evans, D.D., White, J.L., Ensminger, L.E., Clerk, F.E., 1965. Methods of soil analysis. Part 1&2. American Society of Agronomy - Soil Science Society of America, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
• Brunauer, S., Emmett, P.H., Teller, E., 1938. Adsorption of gases in multi-molecular layers. Journal of the American Chemical Society 60(2): 309-319.
• El-Fiky, Y.S., 2002. Studies on hydro-physical and physicochemical properties of new reclaimed soils in Egypt. PhD Thesis, Soil Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Menoufia University, Egypt.
• El-Gabaly, M.M., Khadr, M., 1962. Clay mineral studies of some Egyptian Desert and Nile alluvial soils. European Journal of Soil Science 13(2): 333–342.
• El-Sharkawy, A.F., 1994. Study of water imbibition in some agricultural soils. MSc Thesis, Agricultural Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Menoufia University, Egypt.
• Farrar, D.M. 1963. The use of vapour‐pressure and moisture content measurements to deduce the internal and external surface area of soil particles. Europen Journal Soil Science 14(2): 303–321.
• Globus, A.M., 1996. On specific soil surface area computing by one point on the water vapor sorption isotherm. Eurasian Soil Science 28(10): 154–155.
• Han, E., 2011. Soil moisture data assimilation at multiple scales and estimation of representative field scale soil moisture characteristics. PhD. Thesis, Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA.
• Jacobs, A.F.G., Heusinkveld, B.G., Berkowicz, S.M., 1999. Dew deposition and drying in a desert system: a simple simulation model. Journal of Arid Environments 42(3): 211–222.
• Klute, A. 1986. Methods of soil analysis. Part I Physical and Mineralogical Methods. American Society of Agronomy - Soil Science Society of America, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
• Kosmas, C., Danalatos, N.G., Poesen, J., van Wesemael, B., 1998. The effect of water vapour adsorption on soil moisture content under Mediterranean climatic conditions. Agricultural Water Management 36(2): 157–168.
• Kosmas, C., Marathianou, M., Gerontidis, St., Detsis, V., Tsara, M., Poesen, J., 2001. Parameters affecting water vapor adsorption by the soil under semi-arid climatic conditions. Agricultural Water Management 48(1): 61–78.
• Levy, G.J., Mamedov, A.I., 2002. High-energy-moisture-characteristic aggregate stability as a predictor for seal formation. Science Society of America Journal 66(5): 1603-1609.
• Nerpin, V., Chudnovski, A.F., 1975. Energy and mass-transfer in plant-soil-air system. Hydro-Meteo Izdat., Leningrad, Russia. [in Russian]. Orchiston, H., 1954. Adsorption of water vapour: II. Clays at 250C. Soil Science 78(6): 463–479.
• Quirk, J.P., 1955. Significance of surface areas calculated from water vapour sorption isotherms by use of the BET equation. Soil Science 80(6): 423–430.