Infiltration under Confined Air Conditions: Impact of Inclined Soil Surface

Mizrahi, Guy; Furman, Alex; Weisbrod, Noam

doi:10.2136/vzj2016.04.0034

Cited by 14 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The difference in time scales between the column and the field experiments may also suggest a difference in the proportions of the air supply mechanisms to different layers of the subsurface. Mizrachi et al (2016) have suggested that air (in the gas phase) may be "pushed" downwards once the soil surface is fully flooded by water (Mizrahi et al, 2016). While this phenomenon is likely maximized in a column experiment (as the soil-air has no time and no horizontal pathway to be released), this mechanism and its impact were not investigated here.…”

Section: Comparison With Field Observationsmentioning

confidence: 97%

On the role of operational dynamics in biogeochemical efficiency of a soil aquifer treatment system

Moshe¹,

Weisbrod²,

Barquero³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Abstract. Sustainable irrigation with treated wastewater (TWW) is a promising solution for water scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions. Soil aquifer treatment (SAT) provides a solution for both the need for tertiary treatment and seasonal storage of wastewater. Stresses over land use and the need to control the obtained water quality makes the optimization of SAT of great importance. This study looks into the influence of SAT systems' operational dynamics (i.e. flooding and drying periods) as well as some aspects of the inflow biochemical composition on their bio-geo-chemical state and the ultimate outflow quality. A series of four long-column experiments was conducted, aiming to examine the effect of different flooding/drying period ratios on dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) and outflow composition. Flooding periods were kept constant at 60 minutes for all experiments while drying periods (DP) were 2.5 and 4 times the duration of the flooding periods. Our results show that the longer DP had a significant advantage over the shorter periods in terms of DO concentrations and ORP in the upper parts of the column as well as in the deeper parts, which indicates that larger volumes of the profile were able to maintain aerobic conditions. This advantage was evident also in outflow composition analyses that showed significantly lower concentrations of DOC, TKN and ammonium in the outflow for the longer DP. Comparing experimental ORP values in response to different DP to field measurements obtained in one of the SAT ponds of the SHAFDAN, Israel, we found that despite the major scale differences between the experimental 1D system and the field 3D conditions, ORP trends in response to changes in DP, qualitatively match. We conclude that longer DP not only ensure oxidizing conditions close to the surface, but also enlarge the active (oxidizing) region of the SAT. While those results still need to be verified in full scale, they suggest that SAT can be treated as a pseudo-reactor that to a great extent could be manipulated hydraulically to achieve the desired water quality while increasing the recharge volumes.

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Section: Comparison With Field Observationsmentioning

confidence: 97%

On the role of operational dynamics in biogeochemical efficiency of a soil aquifer treatment system

Moshe¹,

Weisbrod²,

Barquero³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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“…The effect of air compression on the infiltration rate was found to be significant both in the field (e.g., Bianchi & Haskell, ; Dixon & Linden, ; Hammecker et al, ; Starr et al, ; Weeks, ) and in laboratory experiments (e.g., Hardie et al, ; Mizrahi et al, ; Sakaguchi et al, ; Siemens et al, ; Touma et al, ; Vachaud et al, ; Wang et al, ; Wilson & Luthin, ). Previous researchers (e.g., Jarrett & Fritton, ; Wilson & Luthin, ) found that infiltration rates declined due to the increase of air pressure under confined air conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus as water infiltration continues, air may become compressed ahead of the wetting front. Existing laboratory experiments have shown that air compression can lead to obvious air counterflow and substantial decrease in the rate of infiltration (e.g., Chen et al, 2019;Mizrahi et al, 2016). In field studies it has been observed that during the periods of intense rainfall, compressed air may break up through the soil surface, thereby leading to excessive runoff and soil erosion (e.g., Banerjee et al, 2010;Navarro et al, 2008;Weeks, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Later, by conducting infiltration experiments in a closed system, Siemens et al (2013) found that the air pressure below the wetting front was determined by the ponding height and the wetting front suction. Mizrahi et al (2016) carried out a series of infiltration experiments to investigate the effect of inclined soil surface on infiltration, and found that the inclined soil surface may lead to preferential release of the confined air and subsequently increase infiltration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Estimation of the Critical Infiltration Rate for Air Compression During Infiltration

Wei

Chen

2020

Water Resources Research

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During intense rainfall or flood irrigation, air may be compressed below the wetting front in the unsaturated zone, which reduces infiltration and thereby leads to excessive runoff and soil erosion. However, estimation of the critical infiltration rate (Icrit) that leads to air compression remains difficult. In this study, the critical infiltration rate for air compression was investigated experimentally and analytically. During infiltration experiments, significant air compression was observed as the infiltration rate excessed some critical rate for the working sands. And this measured critical rate increased as particle size of the sand increased. An innovative analytical approach was then proposed to estimate the values of Icrit using the parameters of the sands. When taking the impedance of air into consideration, the estimated Icrit matched well with the measured Icrit in the experiments. Based on the analytical approach, an equation was proposed to predict Icrit for a porous medium. According to the equation, the value of Icrit was determined by the permeability and pore size distribution of the porous medium. It was found that Icrit increased with the permeability of the porous medium, and also increased as the pore size of the medium became more uniform.

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“…However, increasing WW volumes and escalating real estate prices around urban areas highlight the need to re-engineer the SAT process and maximize the recharge capacity without sacrificing the effluent quality [22]. Therefore, efforts are being made to maximize the percolation flux by: (1) Studying the spatiotemporal infiltration dynamics across the ponds using hydro-geophysical tools [23]; (2) releasing air which is entrapped below the wetting front [24]; (3) improving tillage technologies to effectively break the biocrust and maintain high infiltration rates in the ponds [25]; and (4) improving the SAT management by optimizing the length of the wetting and drying cycles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting Soil Aquifer Treatment: Improving Biodegradation and Filtration Efficiency Using a Highly Porous Material

Brooks

Weisbrod

Bar‐Zeev

2020

Water

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Soil aquifer treatment (SAT) is an established and sustainable wastewater treatment approach for water reuse that has been gaining increased attention in various countries around the world. Increasing volumes of domestic wastewater and escalating real estate prices around urban areas emphasize the urgent need to maximize the treatment efficiency by revisiting the SAT setup. In this study, a novel approach was examined to increase biodegradation rates and improve the quality of SAT topsoil effluent. Experiments with midscale, custom-made columns were carried out with sand collected from an operational SAT and a highly permeable natural material with high internal porosity, tuff, which was maturated (i.e., buried in the SAT infiltration basin) for 3 months. The filtration efficiency, biodegradation rates of organic material, microbial diversity, and outflow quality were compared between the operational SAT sand and the tuff using state-of-the-art approaches. The results of this study indicate that biodegradation rates (9.2 µg C g−1d−1) and filtration efficiency were up to 2.5-fold higher within the tuff than the SAT sand. Furthermore, the biofilm community was markedly different between the two media, giving additional insights into the bacterial phyla responsible for biodegradation. The results highlight the advantage of using highly porous material to enhance the SAT filtration efficiency without extending the topsoil volume. Hence, infusing a permeable medium, comprising highly porous material, into the SAT topsoil could offer a simple approach to upgrade an already advantageous SAT in both developed and developing countries.

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Infiltration under Confined Air Conditions: Impact of Inclined Soil Surface

Cited by 14 publications

References 34 publications

On the role of operational dynamics in biogeochemical efficiency of a soil aquifer treatment system

On the role of operational dynamics in biogeochemical efficiency of a soil aquifer treatment system

Estimation of the Critical Infiltration Rate for Air Compression During Infiltration

Revisiting Soil Aquifer Treatment: Improving Biodegradation and Filtration Efficiency Using a Highly Porous Material

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