Effect of Electrode Materials on Electrokinetic Reduction of Soil Salinity

Abstract

Laboratory electrokinetic (EK) tests were conducted for the restoration of saline soil which contained mainly Na⁺, Cl⁻ and ions. The effect of anode materials on salt removal was investigated by comparing various anodes such as dimensionally-stable anode, Pt, Si/BDD (boron-doped diamond), and Fe electrode. In all tests Na⁺ and Cl⁻ were easily removed from the soil (>97%). Fe tests showed higher reduction of concentration and resulted in higher electrical conductivity reduction (∼90%) than the other anode tests. The results demonstrated that the EK process can reduce soil salinity effectively and the Fe anode is more suitable for restoration of sulfate-rich saline soil than other insoluble anodes.

Keywords:

• anode material
• electrical conductivity (EC)
• electrokinetic technology
• saline soil

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This research was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Republic of Korea.