EFFECT OF CONCENTRATIONS OF SALTS ON THE SOIL DISPERSION

A laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the effect of different concentrations of NaCl, MgCl2 and CaCl2 salts on the particles dispersion of three different soils types in texture: Sandy Loam, Silty Loam and Clay Loam. The results showed that dispersion is higher with NaCl salt and MgCl2 compared to CaCl2 salt, which aggregates soil particles with a dispersion value according to the Laplace criterion of 0.183, 0.088 and 0.075 for NaCl, MgCl2 and CaCl2 salts, respectively and that the addition of an electrolyte solution containing NaCl, MgCl2 and CaCl (2) salts, reducing the concentration of these salts reduces the dispersion of the soil particles due to the activity of the calcium ion. Conversely, when increasing the concentration of the electrolyte solution, there is an increase in the process of dispersing the particles due to the activity of sodium ion. As for the effect of soil texture, the effect of soil particles dispersion was evident in Clay Loam texture compared to silty Loam and Sandy Loam texture. This is due to the small diameter of the Clay particles, and thus the large specific surface area and the increase in ion exchange processes on the Clay particles surfaces.