SURFACTANT ENHANCED PERFORMANCE OF SOIL LINER MATERIAL USED IN ANIMAL WASTE STORAGE PONDS AND TREATMENT LAGOONS

By
B. Allred and L. Brandvold
New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
New Mexico Tech
Socorro, NM 87801

G. O. Brown
Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078

Abstract

Laboratory experiments indicate the feasibility of surfactant application for performance enhancement of soil liner material used in animal waste storage ponds and treatment lagoons. Three surfactants, one anionic and two cationic, were tested on a sandy loam soil. Of the surfactants studied, two affected substantial reductions in saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil moisture diffusivity, and wetting penetration within the unsaturated soil. Two of the surfactants impacted mechanical compaction through decrease in the optimum moisture content at which the maximum dry bulk density was obtained. Batch test results suggest that nitrate mobility in the soil environment is not significantly influenced by surfactant presence.