Nonlinearly coupled electro-osmotic flow in variable charge soils

Electro-osmosis has been valued as a promising technology to enhance the dewatering of waste sludge, stabilization and environmental remediation of soils with low permeability. However, the coefficient of electro-osmotic permeability (keo) is commonly taken as constant value which is particularly not the case in variable charge soil. As a result, the nonlinearity of the electro-osmotic flow (EOF) and the direction reverse could not be interpreted. Herein, the electro-chemical parameters were monitored in electro-osmotic experiment with natural variable charge soil. It was observed that the evolutions showed significant nonlinear behavior and were correlated. The comprehensive Zeta potential model proposed by the authors was applied to simulate the nonlinear keo induced by the variable pH and electrolyte concentration. The agreement between tested and simulated flow rate variation and excess pore water pressure distribution demonstrated the reliability of the theory. The error rate of the simulations through coupling nonlinear keo and voltage gradient Ex was reduced to 29.4% from 381.9% of calculations with constant parameters. The direction reverse of EOF was innovatively interpreted. Hence, the numerical model would act as a useful tool to connect these electro-chemical parameters and provide guidance to evaluate contributions of commonly used pH conditioning measurements. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd