Saturated hydraulic conductivity of a volcanic ash soil affected by repulsive potential energy in a multivalent anionic system

Acid rain is supposed to influence soil structures, because soils have pH-dependent charges. The adverse effects of acid rain on soils must be assessed. Although repulsive potential energy among soil clay particles generates swelling and dispersion, thereby changing the soil’s hydraulic conductivity, the relationship between hydraulic conductivity and repulsive potential energy has not been evaluated. Moreover, research into repulsive potential energy in multivalent counterionic systems has been rare. In this paper, repulsive potential energies for a volcanic ash soil (allophanic Andisol), which is characterized by a number of pH-dependent charges, were evaluated in a multivalent counterionic system. Changes in saturated hydraulic conductivity (K) of volcanic ash soil during dilute acid leaching and their relationship with the repulsive potential energies were examined. When nitric acid at pH 3 or 4 was leached, K decreased rapidly. On the other hand, the decrease in K attenuated as the proportion of sulfate in the dilute acid increased. Electrophoretic mobilities were measured and the zeta potentials were estimated. From the zeta potentials and the calculation of repulsive potential energies between the clay particles in the NO₃–SO₄ system, we concluded that the decrease in K for an acid solution with a high proportion of nitrate was due to swelling and dispersion of the soil induced by electrostatic repulsive potential energy. Because sulfate formed complexes on the clay surface, the repulsive potential energy decreased as the proportion of sulfate in the dilute acid increased. Then, the flocculation of the soil was maintained, thereby inhibiting the decrease in K.