Transport parameters of potassium from different sources in soil columns

Abstract

This study aimed to determine some transport parameters of potassium in soil columns by miscible displacement of effluent from a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). This effluent was collected at different stages of treatment, and potassium chloride solutions were prepared with the same K pulse concentration as the effluent. They were used to conduct a miscible displacement experiment of potassium in soil columns of dystrophic Red Latosol. Both types of solutions contained concentrations of 30 and 32 mg L-1 of potassium. STANMOD software was used to obtain the retardation factor (R) and the Peclet number (Pe) from pore volume and relative concentration. Both retardation factor and solid-water partition coefficient of the soil showed significant results by ANOVA. When assessing KCl solutions, retardation factor was higher than that observed for the effluent, resulting in higher soil-solute interaction. The presence of other competitor cations in the effluent caused less potassium adsorption by the soil. Based on the results, potassium provided a greater groundwater pollutant potential when applied via effluent than solutions of potassium chloride with the same ion concentrations.