Application of a vertical ‘electric sieve’ to mitigate and prevent salinization in coastal soil

This study explored the applications of a vertical electrokinetic system (V‐EK), which consists of multilayer electrodes positioned in shallow soil to form an ‘electric sieve’ to mitigate and prevent soil salinization caused by salts rising from saline groundwater in coastal areas. The experiments were conducted in column reactors in the laboratory. Compared to the control column, the level of ions in the surface soil was significantly reduced after the V‐EK treatment, particularly for the column with voltages at 10 V and 20 V. At a voltage of 20 V, Na + was detected at a range of 0.06–0.08 mg g −1 in the surface soil; this is a >99% reduction compared to the controls. Similar efficacy was observed for Cl − in the V‐EK column. The concentrations of Cl − were detected with a range of 0.01–0.02 mg g −1 and 0.02–0.06 mg g −1 at the surface soil with a voltage of 20 V and 10 V, respectively, compared to the Cl − concentrations at 0.84–2.70 mg g −1 in the control. After the application of the vertical ‘electric sieve’, the total salt content of surface soil could be controlled at a low value (

Electrokinetic phenomena · Geotechnical engineering · Groundwater · Physics · Saline water · Salinity · Soil salinity · Soil water · Voltage · Chemistry · Electrokinetic Soil Remediation Techniques · Environmental Science · Geophysical and Geoelectrical Methods · Materials Science · Soil and Unsaturated Flow · Environmental Chemistry · Geology · Soil Science