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New Perspectives for the Application of High-Resolution Benchtop X-Ray MicroCT for Quantifying Void, Solid and Liquid Phases in Soils

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Application of Soil Physics in Environmental Analyses

Part of the book series: Progress in Soil Science ((PROSOIL))

Abstract

Recent technological advances of imaging techniques such as X-ray computed tomography (CT) provide powerful means for visualization of the soil interior to evaluate pore topological properties and structure and study dynamic processes in a noninvasive way. The objective of this chapter is to present new opportunities for the application of advanced benchtop X-ray MicroCT scanners in soil science and vadose zone research and to discuss advantages and limitations associated with the MicroCT technique. Instrumentation, spatial resolution, image contrast and other aspects that directly affect the ability to discriminate and quantify various soil phases are discussed. Analysis of nearly 400 published papers regarding the application of computed tomography in soil and porous media research indicate a surge of applications of benchtop MicroCT systems over the last few years. These instruments are becoming more affordable and popular and have great potential to significantly enhance the ability to characterize and better understand dynamic processes in soils and provide important insights for the development of advanced mathematical pore network and fluid dynamics models. New advanced benchtop MicroCT systems are very flexible in terms of sample size and image spatial resolution and provide high quality images, comparable to advanced synchrotron systems. Results of soil samples scanned at different spatial resolutions are presented and their air phase (porosity) and solid phase are evaluated and quantified. Examples of liquid phase quantification using sodium iodide as dopant are also presented for glass bead and undisturbed soil samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Embrapa Agricultural Instrumentation, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation-EMBRAPA, 741, 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil

    Carlos Manoel Pedro Vaz, Paulo Renato Orlandi Lasso & Sílvio Crestana

  2. Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Markus Tuller

Authors
  1. Carlos Manoel Pedro Vaz
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  2. Markus Tuller
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  3. Paulo Renato Orlandi Lasso
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  4. Sílvio Crestana
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carlos Manoel Pedro Vaz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Soil Physics, Embrapa Soils, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Wenceslau Geraldes Teixeira

  2. Soils Department, Rural Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, RJ, Brazil

    Marcos Bacis Ceddia

  3. Department of Hydrology, Companhia de Pesquisa de Recursos Minerais (CPRM), Geological Survey of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Marta Vasconcelos Ottoni

  4. Soil Physics, Embrapa Soils, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Guilheme Kangussu Donnagema

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Vaz, C.M.P., Tuller, M., Lasso, P.R.O., Crestana, S. (2014). New Perspectives for the Application of High-Resolution Benchtop X-Ray MicroCT for Quantifying Void, Solid and Liquid Phases in Soils. In: Teixeira, W., Ceddia, M., Ottoni, M., Donnagema, G. (eds) Application of Soil Physics in Environmental Analyses. Progress in Soil Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06013-2_12

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