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Proceedings of the International Academy of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 2018, 8(3): 183-193
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Article

Investigating the role of diatomite admixing on the water absorption and retention capacity of the soil

Hossain Noferesti1, Mohammad Hassan Sayyari-Zahan2, Hassan Basirani Moghadam3
1Department of Mining Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran
2Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran
3Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran

Received 10 April 2018;Accepted 28 May 2018;Published 1 September 2018
IAEES

Abstract
Diatomite is a unique natural material with interesting features including very fine structure, low mass density, high porosity, high specific surface, chemical neutrality and high silica content. In this work, the effects of diatomite on water absorption and water retention capacity of soil are studied. For this purpose, sandy soil samples from a farm were first prepared. Different amounts (0-10-20-40-80 g) of fragmented diatomite with the different particle size (0-2, 2.36-4.75, 4.75-12.5, 12.5-19 mm) added to the pots of 1-kilogram soil. After four months, the effect of adding raw and calcined diatomite on parameters such as soil bulk density, water absorption capacity, and water retention capacity was studied. By adding 10g/kg of diatomite to the soil, approximately 1.25% enhancement to the amount of soil saturated moisture occurred. Use of calcined diatomite, in contrast to raw diatomite, adds about 20% more to the water absorption capacity of the soil. With the addition of diatomite particles larger than 4.75 mm, the water absorption capacity increased significantly. Regarding the water retention capacity, adding about 10 g/kg of diatomite to the soil would add up to 0.6% to the 48-hours soil moisture content. The use of calcined diatomite did not affect the water retention capacity, but the use of coarse particles of raw diatomite increased the water retention capacity of the soil. Adding diatomite to soil decreases bulk density and significantly increases water absorption and water retention capacities. In this regards, the use of untreated raw diatomite particles with the size of 4.75-19 mm is most effective.

Keywords diatomite;soil amendment;water absorption capacity;water retention capacity.


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