Sulfates in Indiana substrates.

Details

• Creators:
  Branam, Tracy ; Green, Robin ; Wittman, Oliver ; Ayre, Anne
• Corporate Creators:
  Purdue University. Joint Transportation Research Program
• Corporate Contributors:
  Indiana Department of Transportation ; United States. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Sulfates
  • Soil tests
  • Soil mapping
  • Chemical tests
  • sulfate test methods
  • conductivity screening
  • soil sulfate
  • groundwater sulfate
  • Indiana maps
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA/IN/JTRP-2016/19
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Indiana
• Corporate Publisher:
  Purdue University. Joint Transportation Research Program
• Abstract:
  This study was undertaken to develop modifications for improving cost and time efficiencies without sacrificing accuracy and precision to ; the current method employed by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) for determining sulfate content in soils. In addition, ; GIS maps of Indiana were prepared for displaying the distribution of sulfate concentration in soils and shallow groundwater to provide ; guidance where high sulfate areas might exist and to show where gaps occur in available data. ; The IGS study confirmed that the current INDOT test method using 1:20 soil/water ratio and turbidimetric method for analyzing sulfate ; are optimal. A conductivity screening test on soil leachate eliminated the need to run a turbidity sulfate test for most samples, reducing ; the time necessary for filtering, and the cost of materials for running the test. Of the 11 samples in this study, 73% had conductivity ; readings corresponding to <3,000 ppm soil sulfate action threshold. A lower threshold of 1,000 ppm eliminated close to 60% of samples ; from sulfate determination. A much larger soil sulfate data set obtained from INDOT indicate sulfate analyses could be reduced by 50% ; to over 75%, depending on the threshold value. ; Contour maps of the distribution of sulfate in soils and groundwater were prepared with data from multiple agencies. Gaps in the data ; sets limit the usefulness of the current maps. In places of good data density, areas of minimal sulfate are distinguished from areas with ; elevated sulfate content, indicating how a more completed data set would be valuable as a guide to problem areas throughout the state. ; Some areas of elevated groundwater sulfate coincided with elevated soil sulfate, suggesting a correlation. However, the areal ; distribution gaps in both data sets prevent a more definitive interpretation.
  More +
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  SPR-3728
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/31630/dot_31630_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 20.88 MB]
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:32411dafe63c2c807fafaa6410f7d7f14ab2d8bb3b7665a9de07e51fd1d4b2b0