Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #61552

Title: IMPACT OF CHARGE DENSITY OF POLYACRYLAMIDES ON CONTROLLING RILL EROSION

Author
item Stott, Diane
item TRIMNELL, DONALD - RET CHEMIST, PEORIA, IL
item Fanta, George

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/30/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: There has been increased interest in the use of polyacrylamides (PAM) to stabilize the soil surface against crusting and erosion. To this point only three or four PAM formulations have been used as soil conditioners. A study was designed to determine how polymer charge density and concentration impacted PAM's effectiveness for controlling rill erosion. Laboratory mini-rill flumes were used to examine the polymer effects. Alteration of polymer charge densities was achieved by carboxylation. The parent polymer had a molecular weight range of 5 to 6 * 10^6 g moli-1. Maximum control of rill erosion was achieved when 25 to 30% of the PAM amide side groups were replaced by carboxyls. At that hydrolysis range, soil amended with a 0.3 ppm solution applied to the surface could withstand stream power forces up to 6.5 * 10^-4 Pa m s^-1. Soil surfaces amended with a 0.5 ppm PAM solution withstood stream power forces up to 3.1 * 10^-4 Pa m s^-1.