Quantifying soil erodibility parameters due to wastewater chemicals

Many factories and hospitals dumped their wastewater into Tigris River without any treatment in Baghdad city. This could influence on soil erodibility on Tigris Riverbanks. Phenol, Nitrate, and Phosphate were considered as huge concentrations in wastewater chemicals. The main objectives of this research were: 1) to investigate the influence of three wastewater chemicals on erodibility parameters of cohesive soils using Blaisdell's solution and scour depth solution techniques from jet erosion tests (JETs); 2) to develop relationship between erodibility parameters and soil hardness. An excess shear stress model was utilized to measure soil erodibility based on two empirical soil parameters: critical shear stress (τc) and erodibility coefficient (kd). The results showed a constantly increased in kd for all three wastewater chemicals at different curing times and concentrations, while τc values were decreased. An inverse relationship was developed between τc and kd for both Blaisdell's solution and scour depth solution techniques. © 2019 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.