Moisture adsorption capacity and surface area as deduced from vapour pressure isotherms in relation to hygroscopic water of soils

Six calcareous and alluvial soil profiles differing in their texture, CaCO3 and salinity were chosen from west and middle Nile Delta for the present study. The 1st and 2nd profiles from Borg El-Arab area were sandy loam in texture and > 30% CaCO3, while the 3rd and 4th profiles (from Nubaria area) were sandy clay loam and < 30% CaCO3. The 2nd and 4th profiles were taken from cultivated area with maize. The 5th profile from Epshan area was non-saline clay alluvial soil and the 6th from El-Khamsen was saline clay alluvial soil. The relation between soil moisture content (W%) and water vapour pressure (P/Po) was established for the mentioned soils. Data showed that the specific surface area (S) values were 34–53 and 44–60 m2/g for calcareous soils of Borg El-Arab and Nubaria areas, 206–219 and 206–249 m2/g for non-saline and saline clay alluvial soils of Epshan and El-Khamsen areas, respectively. The corresponding values of the external specific surface area (Se) were 16–21, 14–22, 72–86 and 92–112 m2/g. Submitting Wm+Wme as an adsorption boundary of moisture films (Wc) (where Wm is mono-adsorbed layer of water vapour on soil particles and Wme is the external mono-adsorbed layer), the maximum water adsorption capacity (Wa) was found to be Wc + Wme or Wm + 2Wme. It was ranged from 1.88 to 2.70%, 1.97 to 2.95%, 9.70–10.70% and 10.80 to 13.12% while the maximum hygroscopic water (MH) values were 2.43–3.78%, 2.91–4.65%, 16–17% and 18.30–21.9% for the studied soil profiles respectively. The residual moisture content (θr) at pF 7 and P/Po = 0 was ranged from 0.0005–0.0010%, 0.0007–0.0019% and 0.0043–0.0048% in Borg El-Arab, Nubaria and Epshan soil profiles, respectively.