Abstract

Leaching Of Nitrate Through Loamy Soil: A Column Study

Author(s): Imran Ali

The contamination of groundwater by nitrate is a worldwide problem because of its health affects. The leaching behavior of nitrate was carried out under unsaturated and saturated conditions using loamy soil. The affect of concentration of nitrate, pH, column length and flow rate was studied. High concentration of nitrate, high flow rate, low pH and low column length are responsible for the high rate of percolation. The maximum amounts of nitrate leached were 208.0 mg (using nitrate solutions of 250 mg/25 mL), 142.3 mg (pH 2.0) and 139.1 mg (5 cm column lengths) respectively. It has been observed that the uniform distribution of nitrate in saturated condition was after 162 hrs. Suggestions were made to use the nitrogen based fertilizers.