Exchange-induced dissolution of gypsum and the reclamation of sodic soils

A study was undertaken to define the dissolution kinetics of gypsum in the presence of ion exchange resins and to study sodic soil reclamation in laboratory soil columns.
Gypsum pellets were prepared at 1.5 MPa pressure and the time course of their dissolution followed by measuring the electrical conductivity of the solution. Dissolution experiments were carried out in distilled water with and without Na- and Cl-saturated exchange resins or a combination of the two. The results indicate that in the presence of resin the reaction is first order as calcium and/or sulphate are removed from solution by the resin driving the reaction to completion. In water alone the reaction follows second-order kinetics and depends on the rate of mixing as the reaction is transport controlled.
The effect of gypsum placement (uniformly mixed with the entire soil, mixed with the top third of the soil, applied to the soil surface or applied as a saturated gypsum solution) on the efficiency of exchangeable sodium removal, leaching of soluble salts and soil hydraulic conductivity was studied. In addition, the effect of various flow rates on reclamation efficiency was investigated.
The amount of leachate required for reclamation was found to be dependent on gypsum placement, tending to decrease in the order mixed < top third mixed < saturated gypsum solution < gypsum surface application < water. Soil hydraulic conductivity was much higher in the mixed gypsum column than in the gypsum applied on the surface; a result of the higher effective gypsum solubility. Sodic soil electrical conductivity in the presence of solid-phase gypsum is linearly related to the total amount of exchangeable sodium expressed in mol dm⁻³.