Abstract
The main sources of inorganic chemicals in the unsaturated zone are the direct incorporation into the land surface of commercial fertilizers, land disposal of sludge, industrial and domestic effluents, and dispersion of aerosols. In addition, there exists a “background” contribution of biological residues and a release of elements from the solid phase. The properties and the binding ability of the inorganic chemicals determine the extent to which they are absorbed on the solid phase, precipitate or move downward into the unsaturated zone until they may reach the groundwater. Adsorption-desorption-precipitation processes accompany the transport phenomenon and govern the distribution of the inorganic pollutant in the unsaturated zone.
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© 1984 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Yaron, B. (1984). Introductory Comments. In: Yaron, B., Dagan, G., Goldshmid, J. (eds) Pollutants in Porous Media. Ecological Studies, vol 47. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69585-8_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69585-8_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-69587-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-69585-8
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