Research Article Open Access

The Leaching Kinetics of Nitrate in Soil Using Glass Column Method

Abstract

The leaching kinetics of nitrate (NO3 -) in agricultural (pH = 7.2) and non-agricultural soils (pH = 6.8) was studied using undisturbed glass columns method . The soils were taken from the agriculture field and barren land near Dheerkhera agricultural area, Hapur. The Sodium nitrate (NaNO3) is used as a source of NO3 -. Power form equations (LRobs = k1 [NO3 - ]i 2.91 for agricultural and (LRobs = k2 [NO3 - ]i 1.829 for non-agricultural soils have been derived for dependence of LRobs on leachable concentration of NO3 - present initially. The effects of pore volume, temperature, Ca hardness have been observed on leaching rate. Change in water filled porosity θ (cm3cm-3) of the column has been found to affect LRobs. The LRobs is found to increase with temperature in the range 30-50°C. Experimental data fitting on various kinetic models showed first order kinetic models and parabolic diffusion to be most suited for predicting leaching rates.

Anuj Kumar Garg, A. K. Gupta, Ashu Rani

To read the full article Download Full Article | Visit Full Article