Controlled Environment Soil-Core Microcosm Unit (CESMU) for Investigating Fate, Transport, and Transformation of Chemicals in Site-Specific Soils

The controlled environment soil-core microcosm unit CESMU methods embody a collection of techniques that began with soil sampling in the field, and continued throughout laboratory investigations of chemical fate, migration, and transformation in site-specific soils. Intact soil cores were collected in the field using a hydraulically-controlled probe, delivering intact soil-cores with minimal disturbance directly into high density polyethylene pipe HDPE 10. 3-cm ID. The HDPE remained an integral part of the soil-core column. Each soil column was fitted with a porous ceramic plate in an HDPE endcap, so that a tension could be applied 30-35 kPa to mimic field conditions, thus preventing the undue buildup of water within columns that otherwise would change soil chemical, physical, and biological properties. The intact soil-cores were under controlled temperature, and synthetic rain was added at rates simulating rainfall. Leachates were collected in darkness via Teflon tubing into flasks inside the CESMU chamber. Soil columns were harvested at intervals for sectioning by depth, extraction, and soil analyses. The CESMU methods are applicable to investigations of chemical fate, water movement, soil chemistry, solute transporttransformation, and plant effects. Soil microcosm, Intact soil columns, Chemical transport, Chemical degradation, Chemical transformation, Fate in soil.