Conference Presenter:
Randy Adams
Research Professor
Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco
Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
drrandocan@hotmail.com

Primary Author:
Verónica Isidra Domínguez-Rodriguéz
Research Professor
Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco

Co-Authors:
Randy H. Adams*, Liliana Hernández Acosta, and Karla Anahi Castro Lavariega
Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco,

Three regional soils most likely to be impacted by brine spills were identified based on soil properties and number of separation batteries sited on or nearby: an alluvial soil (Psamment/Fluvisol), a marshy pasture soil (Gleysol), and a red-clay soil (Ultisol/Acrisol). After contaminating with different concentrations of process water, they were analyzed for salinity and sodicity. All soils showed high salinities (30-50 dS/m) and sodicities (35-60 ESP), with 13% process water, however, there was a tendency for lower values in the Psamment and Ultisol. At 100% process water, the salinities and sodicities in the Psamment, Ultisol and Gleysol were 70, 81, and 95 ds/m, and 62, 65 and 70 ESP, respectively. These laboratory determinations indicated much greater impacts in the Gleysol, but these tendencies may not hold up in the field, where they tend to flood frequently and excess salts may be washed out quickly. Likewise, the Ultisols are acidic, suffer from natural aluminum toxicity, low available phosphorous, compaction, and have moderate to steep grades, making recovery much more difficult, and more likely to suffer from erosion. Thus, not only the inherent response to salts by the soil minerals affect vulnerability, but also the landscape position and general soil fertility.